Endurance of the Heart
by TreasurePlanetJimxZara
Summary: Captain James Hawkins. That was Jim's new title. Newly graduated, there was now nothing to stand in the way of Jim and Zarabeth's wedding...or so they thought. Tested by the returning presence of old rivals, new enemies, and unexpected adventure, both Jim and Zara will be forced to face old wounds they thought had healed. After all, memories never die.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Jim Hawkins had hardly descended the stage platform before finding himself flung into Zarabeth's tight embrace.

The girl could hardly believe how happy she felt, her laughter mixing with Jim's as they clung to each other at the base of the steps.

The two hardly even noticed that they were in anyone's way, forcing the other graduates to file around them as they descended the short steps to join the crowd standing a little ways off from the platform.

Zara closed her eyes as she buried her face against Jim's shoulder, her words only loud enough for him to hear as she whispered them. "You made it."

"Were you worried?"

Finally pulling a little bit away from him, Zarabeth smiled as she quickly replied to the boy's mocking tone, straightening the collar of his uniform as she spoke. "Course not. I'm just so proud of you."

Jim really did look handsome in the dark blue fabric which made up his new uniform. It was similar to the one that Amelia used to wear aboard the Legacy, with even a three-cornered hat to complete the whole ensemble. Everything Jim had worked for to get to this day had now payed off. After four long years, he'd graduated from the Interstellar Academy, the title of Captain to forever be printed alongside his name. Before long, Jim would have a ship, a first-officer, a crew. It was so exciting to see Jim reach this point in his life.

Satisfied that he now looked perfect, Zarabeth scrunched her nose in a mixture of disappointment and amusement as she brought up the thought on her mind. "I wish you'd just wear this for the wedding. You look so handsome in it."

Jim chuckled at the girl's prodding, leaning down slightly to give her forehead a small kiss before replying with a chuckle. "It's the only thing I have any real say in. It'd feel weird to wear this since I don't have a ship yet. Ya know?"

"I think you just don't like the hat." The girl couldn't help but continue her teasing as she playfully pulled the brim of Jim's hat down over his eyes.

Joining Zarabeth's laughter, Jim removed the three-cornered hat from his face, shaking his head to let his hair fall back into its normal look before placing the cap on the girl's head instead. "Never been one for 'em. But if I have to, I have to. Amelia didn't always wear hers."

"Well I think you look rather dashing."

"Then I guess that's all that matters."

Catching the look of love filling the boy's crystal eyes, Zara closed hers in anticipation as she saw him lean down nearer to her, one hand pulling her close, the other retrieving his three-cornered cap from her head. Their faces mere inches apart, the two suddenly separated as a familiar voice called out to them.

"There's the man of the hour! Darling, they're over here." Delbert Doppler wove his way toward the two, a little blond feline girl of about four in one arm, a second girl, this one brunette, walking alongside her father, her tiny hand tightly clasped in his. Upon seeing Jim and Zara, the girls gave squeals of delight, each fighting against the hands which held them to get to their aunt's side.

It wasn't long before everyone was together, Jim's mother, Sarah Hawkins, and Amelia following closely behind Delbert, Sarah's attention occupied by the red-haired feline girl in her arms, Amelia's with her only son, his appearance much like that of his dog-man father.

While Zarabeth was busily accepting hugs and kisses from her nieces and nephew, Jim was lost in his mother's warm embrace, the two speaking so that only they could hear one another as they passed words of praise and love back and forth.

The loud clanking of metal scraping together alerted the group of the approach of the only beings missing from their little party. As soon as he'd caught sight of everyone, B.E.N. threw his spindly arms into the air, his metallic voice rising above the din of the crowded room as he and the shape-shifter, Morph, joined everyone. "There you are! I turn away for a half a second and-bam! You're all gone. Oh Jimmy, I'm so happy for you! You did great, absolutely flawless up there. No tripping or nothing. How does it feel, Captain Jimmy sir?"

"Thanks B.E.N. Feels pretty good. Hey, Andrew?" Jim suddenly caught the attention of the Doppler's little boy, his dark brown eyes brightening as he was pulled up into Jim's arms. With a mischievous smile, Jim pulled the cap in his hand down over Andrew's face, causing the little boy to giggle as he pulled the brim back up a bit to see. "Wanna hang onto that for me for a little while?"

The tiny dog-boy's face grew suddenly serious, his little hand pulled up in an attempted salute as Jim lowered him back to the ground. It wasn't until Jim saluted him back that Andrew ran off to join his sisters, the four children laughing and squealing as they chased after Morph, the oversized hat atop the little boy's head bouncing all the way.

Zarabeth turned her head to face Jim as she felt his arm wrap about her waist, pulling her close. "You know, you might not get that back." The girl scrunched her nose as she felt him give it a light tap, his eyes brightening as he chuckled.

"Hey, it's an honest way to lose it."

"Stinker."

Zara followed Jim's gaze as he pulled her left hand up into his. The early afternoon light glinted off of the emerald set into Zarabeth's engagement ring, the smaller diamonds on either side of the gem sending small fragments of light around it as Jim slowly turned her hand to different angles.

"One more week. Can you believe it?"

Zara couldn't help but smile as she let her head rest against the boy's shoulder, the thought making her heart pound in growing anticipation. "Some days it felt like it'd never come. I hope this week flies."

"That makes two of us."

This time next week, Zara and Jim would be married. The thought made her head twist and spin in excitement, trying her best to take in every last moment leading up to that day. After being engaged for two years, they were more than ready to start their new life together as one. Everything was basically ready, all they needed was for everyone to come home with them to Montressor. Even though Zarabeth wished she could be married to Jim by even that next day, she knew that the time she'd spend with her friends leading up to that day would be more precious than she could yet understand.

Those thoughts crossing her mind, Zara playfully nudged the boy beside her as she urged him to follow her deeper into the crowd. "Let's go find everyone. I was with Jewel and Calypsa for just a bit before, but I haven't talked to Gen or Anaise yet."

Following Zara's lead, Jim chuckled, dodging a small knot of children as they ran between the two walking hand-in-hand. "Well, wherever Cane is, Gen will be close behind. Kinda hard to separate newlyweds."

It'd been a few months since Cane and Genevieve's wedding, but Zara remembered it like it was yesterday. It had definitely been one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen. Ever since their first year at school together, the two had been inseparable, both overcoming prejudice and family pressure to be where they were now. Even though they lived so far away, Brendor being a good four days' flight, Gen and Cane were definitely Zarabeth and Jim's closest friends.

The girl's expedition through the throng of people suddenly ended when she found herself locked in someone's embrace, a voice Zara would recognize anywhere talking hurriedly in her ear.

"I'm so glad you came! Well, duh, of course you came. Jim's here, but still! Oh, Zara, you look beautiful! I'm so excited for the wedding! One week! Ah!"

"I missed you so much, Gen! Sure it's only been a few months, but I did! And I must say, that color blue looks great on you."

The two girls giggled and talked as they stood at arm's length together, Cane and Jim talking just beside them.

Zarabeth meant what she said. The Brendorian girl's golden hair paired beautifully with her new Captain's uniform, even the hat looked well with it. The fact that Genevieve and Jim had been in the same program at the Academy all four years had done nothing but help strengthen the bond between the four of them, making each day a little easier to arrange times to get together during those school years.

A new wave of giggling and hugs hit the two girls sidelong as they were suddenly joined by three more.

Zarabeth could hardly hear over the noise as everyone began talking over each other, Jewel, who'd now found her friends again, talking above the din, her accent only thickening as she fought to be understand. "Ladies, we've got ourselves a real party here! Gen, girl, you are lookin' fine! How's it feel to join the ranks of us already graduates?"

"Hey, better late than never!"

It was pure entertainment, watching everyone as they interacted. All of her and Jim's friends were now standing together in a tight knot among the constantly moving maze of people. It was nearly impossible to greet each one, so she had to be content to simply wave at Cygnus and Talyn, Calypsa practically glued to the harpy until she separated herself to join the other girls.

Feeling a tug on her arm, Zarabeth turned to see Anaise behind her, the Cloud Child seeming as cheery and bright as ever, her golden eyes glowing like her smile as she tried to pull Zara aside.

Once the two girls were in an area which was a little more subdued, Anaise began to speak, her voice ringing like a bell as she looked cautiously over her friend's shoulder. "I got it."

"You-you did?" If Zarabeth was excited before, she was even more so now. "Do you have it here?"

The girl's white-blond hair bounced about her face as she hurriedly nodded, pulling out something she'd been hiding from behind her back.

The item now in Zara's hands, she couldn't help but laugh as her gaze shifted between it and her friend. "I can hardly believe you found it! Thank you, Anaise! I'll pay you back as soon as we're home."

After a few moments, the Cloud Child pulled away from their hug, a radiant smile dawning on her face as she giggled quietly. "Are you going to give it to him now, or wait until the wedding?"

Biting her lip in momentary indecision, Zarabeth returned her friend's smile as she nodded resolutely. "Now."

"Well then, hop to it, girl!"

It didn't take long for Zara to make her way back to Jim, being careful to keep her newly procured gift out of his sight as she wrapped an arm about one of his. "Hey you."

"Well hello, beautiful."

The boy's tone of mock formality was always a sure-fire way to get her to smile, the girl trying hard to remind herself of why she'd tried to find him. "I've got somethin' for ya."

"Oh do you now?" Jim's curiosity was now obviously piqued.

"If you want it, you're gonna have to follow me." Pulling her best mysterious look, Zarabeth left the boy's side without another word, making her way through the crowd toward the closest wall of the vast room before turning to see Jim following close behind. Still doing her best to hide her gift, the girl picked up her pace as she led Jim into an empty hallway just off of the main room. It was so much quieter in that hallway than in the auditorium, the absence of noise making Zara's head feel suddenly light. It was Jim's voice behind her which brought the girl back to reality.

"Well, milady? You have my full attention."

Turning to face him, Zara hid the object behind her in a single fluid motion as she let a mischievous smile cross her lips. "I wasn't sure when to give this to you, but I just can't wait till our wedding. Now, close your eyes. Just close them! No peeking. Ok, hold out your hands. Careful, it's kinda heavy. Alright, on the count of three. One..."

Jim was always teasing her like this when he had a surprise, but now it was her turn for revenge.

"Two..."

Knowing full-well what the girl was purposefully doing to him, Jim began to laugh, tipping his head back as he released a groan. "Ha, ha, very funny. Seriously, Zara!"

"Three!"

Silence. Upon opening his eyes, Jim didn't move for what felt like forever. In his hands was an old leather-bound book, it's thickness being a good two inches, gold letters revealing the title and author on it's cover and binding. Swallowing hard, the boy spoke without raising his eyes, his voice almost timid as he fought to create a coherent sentence. "Th-this is...Where did you get this?"

"I drilled your mom a little bit and I had Anaise keeping her eye out for it. It's the same one, isn't it?" Stepping closer to him, Zara finally was able to see his face, unsure of what to make of the almost blank expression marking it.

Shaking his head slightly, as if to clear it, the boy finally raised his gaze to meet hers, his crystal eyes glassy as if at the brink of tears. "This book...it..."

Carefully holding the binding in one hand, Jim opened it's pages to a certain section near the middle, the boy obviously knowing exactly where to turn. The pages now unfolded, a holographic image of the dark Etherium rose from its surface, a calm and evenly toned voice breaking the silence of the room. "On the clearest of nights, when the winds of the Etherium were calm and peaceful, the great merchant ships with their cargos of Octurian solar crystals felt safe and secure..."

"I can hardly believe it. It's been forever." Closing the book once more, Jim held the leather back close to his chest as he met the girl's constant look. "Me and this book, some nights it was just us. Hearing these stories over and over, I could forget the sounds of my mom and dad fighting downstairs. It kept me sane when all I could do was dream about flying through the Etherium. Didn't think I'd ever see this again. I mean, sure it's not the exact, exact same. Mine burned with the inn, but..."

Jim's arms suddenly surrounding her, Zara could feel her heart warm with his embrace, holding him just as tightly as she fought to hold back her own tears.

"Thank you, Zarabeth."

"It was the least I could do."

"No, really."

Pulling back at arm's length, the girl hoped that her smile spoke for all the feelings she couldn't put to words. She wanted to do this for Jim, to give him back a piece of his childhood, a good part of it. Sometimes memories were stronger than physical objects, but when an object was a memory, you sometimes needed one to have the other.

"Thank you. I-I don't know what else to say."

Zara could only watch as Jim's face drew closer and closer to hers, his voice lowering with every sound until his lips gently met hers.

Jim's kiss. No matter how many times she experienced it, his touch always felt like the first time, tender yet bursting with passion beyond what words could ever say.

Zarabeth didn't know whether to fight or give into the sensation of pure joy which sought to numb her mind into emptiness, Jim's every touch bringing a small piece back into reality as she felt his hand gently cup the side of her face, his other still clutching the book as he pulled her closer to himself.

The span of time that must have been mere seconds seemed to stretch on into eternity, neither wanting to be the first to pull away, but both still doing so nearly simultaneously.

Her arms still wrapped about the boy's neck, Zara instantly lost herself in the endless blue of his eyes, her fingers playing mindlessly in the ends of his hair as they stood together without a word.

This was love.

This much she knew. It was as if she and Jim were made for each other. No one could understand or complete them nearly as much as they did.

That next week marked not only her new life with Jim, but the fourth anniversary of her life of freedom. Nothing could hold her back from being with the man she loved; not slavery, not anger, not jealousy, not time, not even pirates or exploding stars. All the pain and hardship they'd endured, both together and apart, they knew that nothing but death itself could permanently separate them. That's how they both knew it; they were simply meant to be.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

"Oh, Zarabeth."

"You look absolutely stunning."

"Glowing."

"Honey, Jim had better know how lucky he is. Look at you!"

As the small circle of girls parted before the full length mirror, Zarabeth was finally able to get a look at her reflection. The laughter falling from her lips was the only thing saving her from tears, hardly believing what she was seeing as she spun around in a circle before the mirror. That really was her.

The image reflected in the mirror looked more like an angel than a girl, Zara's face practically glowing against the radiant white of her wedding dress. The gown was simple, yet elegant, its floor length skirt had no train, but it was full and smooth. The neckline was off of her shoulders, a small layer of fabric overlapping the neckline, its natural fall hiding the point at which the long sleeves met the bodice, the cuffs ending in points over her hands. The regular wave of her dark hair was now remade into a natural-looking cascade of curls at her back and around her face, a simple wreath of white flowers crowning her head as it lay between the curls.

This was the day she'd been waiting her whole life for, a day she used to think she'd never see, yet, here it was.

It was sometimes hard to think with all the noise filling the small guest room of the inn, so Zara was content to simply do as she was directed or lead. Packed into that room were Amelia and her children, Jim's mother, Genevieve, Anaise, Calypsa, and Jewel, each girl busy with helping each other or Zarabeth to get ready for the event quickly approaching. They'd been behind schedule since that morning, but now only an hour remained before everyone would start making their way to the chapel at the edge of Benbow, the men in the first wave, the women following only a little bit after. Everyone was there in the inn, the boys in another room a few doors away, though hardly a sound was heard from that end of the hall in comparison to the girls.

Amelia and Sarah had planned on helping Zarabeth more than the other girls, but it was difficult for Amelia to do much when there were four little children constantly nagging for their mother's attention. Zara couldn't help but think about how enjoyable it was to watch her nephew and nieces interact, especially when the fact that they were all in more formal clothing was thrown into the situation.

Andrew was mostly busy tugging at the collar of his dress-shirt, his tiny brow furrowed as he begged with a single phrase. "Mama, off please."  
Susan, on the other hand, was having the time of her life. If ever a girl envisioned herself as a princess, the little blond feline did. She pranced about the room in as graceful a manner as she could at four, twirling in tight circles so as to make the skirt of her flower-girl's dress flow out around her.  
Elizabeth would have been acting in a similar fashion if it hadn't been for the small squabbles she was constantly having with Alexandra. The two little girls were either pulling at each other's hair or dress ribbons, Alexandra always wanting something her sister had while poor Lizzy just wanted to be left alone.

"Oh darlings, please! You're mussing your clothes into utter chaos. Now hold still, Elizabeth, while I retie your ribbon. There we are. Alexandra, please keep your hands to yourself. Thank you. Now, that'll be quite enough of that, do you both understand me?"

"How are you feeling?"

Zara's concentration on Amelia was broken by Mrs. Hawkins' gentle voice, Sarah's eyes betraying the excitement hiding beneath her calm demeanor.

"I just wish it would come already." She and Jim had waited two years to come to this day, but now all she wanted was for the hour to be up.

Zarabeth hadn't seen Jim since the night before. It'd been a weird parting, knowing that the next time they'd see each other would be when she walked down the aisle to meet him. That was the last night that they'd have to separate, that they'd have to leave each other until the morning. After today, not even the night was going to be able to keep them apart.

Sarah nodded slowly as she smiled sadly. "I remember the feeling... I used to dream about what this day would be like for Jim, for the girl he'd give his heart to. Zarabeth, I couldn't have asked for a better young woman for son, for a better daughter."

Mrs. Hawkins' words warmed Zara right to her core, her heart overflowing with the love and thankfulness she felt toward Sarah. Today was the day that she'd have a mother again. Zarabeth could hardly remember her mother, she'd been only four when her parents both died, the same age as Amelia's children. Sarah truly had been the only mother she'd ever known.

About to make a reply, the girl's thoughts were suddenly set aside as the sound of someone knocking at the door brought the room into a quieter tone. Genevieve was the first to reach the door, only opening it enough to see who was standing behind it. The sound of someone hurriedly giving her an explanation was the only sound from the hallway, Genevieve obviously surprised at what she heard. Without closing the door, the Brendorian girl turned to face everyone else, an odd look on her face as she called Amelia over to her side.

Arching her neck to see who was behind the door, Zara caught a shock of blond hair, the mystery person most definitely Cane. She watched as Cane must have been repeating his message to Amelia, the feline's reaction similar to that of Genevieve's.

The girl could feel her chest tighten in growing curiosity and worry as she rose from the chair she'd been sitting in, the fabric of her dress swishing around her as she made her way to the door. "What's going on?"

Now able to look into the hallway, she could see that Delbert was standing behind Cane, the dog-man's expression marked with frustration as he nervously watched the group of girls gathered about the door-frame.

"Dearest, we have a slight problem. Um..." Amelia did her best to appear calm, the odd look in her eyes betraying her true emotions as she turned back toward the door.

Taking the cue from his wife, Delbert stepped forward a few paces, concern in his voice as he spoke directly to the girl. "We've been dealing with some officials downstairs for a little while now, but they won't be deterred."

Cane was the next to speak, his bright eyes shining less than usual as he dropped his gaze. "Jim's waiting downstairs for you. There's not much time."

"Jim's waiting... I-I don't understand."

"Zarabeth, we have to delay the wedding. We're being called-"

"Amelia, darling, maybe we should just let Jim explain it. Zara, you'd better go see him now."

Her mind a mess of jumbled thoughts and questions, Zarabeth could hardly process that she was moving until she found herself at the base of the stairs, making her way into the kitchen since the dining room was empty. "Jim?"

Upon hearing his name, Jim halted in his nervous pacing, his eyes wide in wonder as he turned to face the girl. "Woah."

Closing the distance between them, Zara tried to guess at what was wrong, unable to read anything from the boy's face except a sad sort of love.  
"You...you look perfect."

Jim was wearing his captain's uniform, the sight causing Zarabeth to unconsciously smile, but she somehow knew that the reason he was wearing it now was not for their wedding. "So do you." Releasing a heavy breath, the girl was now standing at arm's length from Jim, her mind fighting to stay focused as she let a sad smile dawn on her face. "I hope you have a good reason for all of this. Ever heard of bad luck?"

The boy tried to laugh with her, unable to do so as he drew a hand over his eyes. "Blast it all, Zara. Why today?"

"Jim, what's going on? Delbert said something about officials and-"

"The navy needs us."

"What?"

His feelings getting the best of him, Jim released a frustrated grunt as he kicked low and hard at the base of the counter beside him, his hands supporting his weight as he leaned over the surface, doing his best to explain without facing the girl. "There's some sort of emergency or something. The Empire's calling all of us who are even in any sort of rank out to-to... I don't even know where we're going. The guys waiting outside won't tell us. Me, Gen, Amelia, Talyn, Cygnus, we all have to leave."

The gravity of his words struck Zarabeth sidelong, the happiness she'd felt mere minutes ago now crushed into oblivion. She tried to speak, but no words came, no sound escaped her parted lips. It was only after she was wrapped in Jim's warm embrace that she came back to herself, but still too stunned to say a thing.

"I'm so sorry. I-I tried to talk to them, but they just wouldn't listen..."

Zara's first instinctive feeling was that of pure sadness, then overwhelming anger and frustration, but those feelings died as quickly as they had come, replaced now with resolute understanding as she let a heavy sigh escape her lips. "Ok."

"O-Ok?"

The girl attempted to keep her breath from trembling as she nodded. "If they need you, they need you. That's all there is to it."

"But our wedding-"

"Can wait. I'll be here waiting until you get back, ok? Just be safe."

Unbelievable. Surprise was all he could feel. Here Jim had been preparing himself for any reaction from Zarabeth, any reaction but this one. How did he get so lucky? How did he manage to stumble upon that one girl who was more than perfect for him? He didn't know how, but there she was, surrounded in his arms.

"I will."

"Captain Hawkins?"

Zara turned around to see that a tall alien man in uniform was standing in the double-doors between the kitchen and dining room, his dark military dress standing out against his light green complexion and jet-black hair.

"Captain, it's time we were on our way. Everyone else is assembled outside."

"Thank you."

She knew she couldn't stop him from going. This was the life that Jim had chosen, the life that she had helped him to reach. Zara had understood that these kinds of things would come up from time to time, she just hadn't expected them to appear before they were even married. But, she knew that everything would be alright. Jim would be fine, she would be fine. Everything would go back to normal as soon as he returned.

"Hurry home." Her words had hardly been uttered before she felt her lips caught for a mere moment by Jim's, her eyes still open by the time he'd pulled away from her.

"I'll be back."

Watching Jim walk toward the door to leave, the girl made no move to follow him. Everything that needed to had already been done. There was no reason to prolong their goodbyes.

Her mind was brought back to reality at the sound of Jim's voice calling to her just before he disappeared back into the dining room, the military official right behind him.

"I love you."

"I love you too."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

"Argh, me little ones! Where be Flint's trove? What does the map tell us?"

Elizabeth was the first to reply, her usually calculating manner relaxing somewhat that afternoon as she pointed to the stairs leading to the second floor. "Wait! We have to get on the ship first!"

"Of course, of course. Silly me. Are we all ready, then?"

The four children raised their voices in agreement and delight as they crowded around their aunt, each carrying a small handkerchief pack of snack-food for their make-believe voyage supplies.

It had been four days since the cancelation of Zarabeth and Jim's wedding, the group that had set out with the military officials still not back yet, but it was understandable. No one expected them home for a week or more, unsure of what had even forced them away in the first place.

It'd been a strange few days. Nothing felt right without Jim there. To Zara, even spending time with her friends felt strange since half of them were gone, only Cane, Calypsa, Jewel, and Anaise left behind.

With Amelia gone, everyone was doing their best to help Delbert with his kids, taking them places, letting them have sleep-overs at the inn, anything to keep Delbert's stress level to a minimum. Zarabeth thought that having her nieces and nephew over for the afternoon would double as a fun time for them and a good distraction for her, anything to help her forget that Jim was gone. The five of them were all dressed up in the most pirate-like fashion they could, the girls in little blouses and skirts or dresses, Andrew in regular shorts and shirt with the addition of a handkerchief tied about his head, the way Silver always used to wear his. Zara probably had the most realistic outfit. With her black leggings, oversized sea-foam blouse, and light-colored corset, the whole ensemble was finished off with a three-cornered hat she had borrowed from the Dopplers house. The heart-shaped pendant made of cogs and gears which Jim had made for her twenty-first birthday almost never left her neck, the metal hanging idly from its leather cord.

It was fun to play with Amelia and Delbert's children. Zara liked imagining how it would be someday if she and Jim had kids, using this time with her nieces and nephew as practice.

Ever since the day that Jim left, Zara had taken to living in the house that was supposed to be their home after the wedding. With everything that had happened, she felt the need to be alone sometimes, happy to have a place to stay when she wanted solitude and quiet. Zara was already getting used to living there, just doing general house chores was a simple joy to her.

The house was small but comfortable, two stories with a joined kitchen, dining, and living room on the first floor and two bedrooms on the second. Situated an even distance between the Benbow Inn and the center of town, the small building looked out over the colorless canyons and ravines from almost every view. Zarabeth couldn't wait to begin her life with Jim in this house.

"Auntie, come on!"

The small voice of Alexandra pulled Zara from her daydreaming, happy to redirect her attentions toward the children crowded around her as she hoisted Andrew up to balance on her hip. "Alright my little pirates! All hands to stations! We set sail as soon as the Etherium winds are with us. Onward and upward!"

Letting the girls climb the stairs first, Zarabeth took a moment to watch them as they clambered up each step, the three little bodies disappearing down the short hallway as soon as they reached the top.

About to begin the ascent to join her nieces, Zara was stopped at the sound of a series of firm knocks on the front door behind her. "Girls, I'm gonna quick get the door, but I'll be right up."

Little Andrew still in her hold, the girl moved a few strides behind her, unlocking the door with her free hand before pulling its entrance open enough to show her face.

It took a moment for Zarabeth's eyes to adjust to the afternoon light outside, but, once they did, her gaze was met with an unexpected sight. Three figures, all in heavy military dress, a bit odd for the weather, were standing on the front steps. The man in front of his companions was tall and broad, his tanned skin and light hair the only features visible from beneath his hat.

Her mind immediately trying to process what three officials could be doing at her house, Zara did her best to keep her voice from shaking as she spoke. "Good afternoon. May I help you?"

The man's voice was low and gravely, his face still hidden as he took his time with each word in response. "Afternoon, ma'am. We're looking for your husband, Captain Hawkins. Is he at home?"

"Oh. I'm sorry, would excuse me one moment?" Taking a small step away from the door, Zarabeth fought to replace her worried expression with a smile as she took the three-cornered hat from her head, placing it down on Andrew's as she gave her nephew some hurried instruction. "Alright, Andrew, I'm naming you Captain of the Centaur, ok? You and your sisters fly to Treasure Planet without me and I'll meet you there later, alright? Stay up there until I come get you. Good boy." She waited until the little boy had disappeared into the upstairs hallway, the girl hurriedly pulling the hair away from her face as she returned to the door. "Sorry about that. Now, you said you were looking for Jim?"

"Is your husband home, Mrs. Hawkins?"

"He-He's not my husband, not yet anyway. Um...he's not here at the moment, but might I ask about your reason for seeing him?"

"When will he return?"

Zara's heart was beating wildly in her chest, her breathing uneven and hurried as her worry began affecting her thoughts. Something wasn't right. Why wouldn't the man look at her? How did they know where to find her and Jim?

Why did they need to see him? Suspicion clouding her judgement, Zarabeth's mind told her to get out of the situation as quickly as possible. "I'm not at liberty to say, but I'll let Jim know that you were looking for him as soon as he's home. Good day."

Her mind working itself into a small frenzy, the girl took in a sharp breath as her attempt to close the door was hindered, the man's boot keeping it from its purpose as he pushed his way through the entrance and into the house. "What do you think you're doing?"

It was difficult to tell, but the man seemed to almost lessen slightly in stature as he drew closer to where Zara stood between the stairs and the kitchen. His hair was much darker and his skin had changed color too.

"Oh now, baby girl, is that any way to treat your old school chums? Been a long time."

That voice. She'd recognize it anywhere, its sound the same superior mocking tone as it had been three years ago.

"Damian?"

The skin changer finally tilted his head upright, his amethyst eyes glowing beneath the jagged cut of his jet-black hair as he smirked down at the girl. "Oh good, you do remember. Miss me?"

Her mind reeling in surprise and fear, Zara quickly turned to look back at the door, instantly recognizing the other two figures just as the last closed the door behind him. Logan and Camellia. The female skin-changer chuckled quietly as she removed her heavy military coat and hat, flipping the long tresses of her black hair over her shoulders. The viperman stood awkwardly by the closed door, his fangs peeking out from the corner of his mouth as he bit down on his lip, avoiding Zarabeth's eyes all the while.

Fighting to regain control over her mind, Zara hoped she sounded more confident than she felt as she whipped her head back around to face Damian. "Alright, you surprised me. Congratulations. You've had your fun, now get out!"

Any courage the girl had had before now slowly withered at the sound of the skin-changer's deep laugh, his eyes revealing the amusement he was getting from watching her.

"Haven't changed a bit, have ya? Well, you are prettier though, if that's possible."

Zarabeth found herself slowly forced back further into the room between two counters of the kitchen as Damian gradually advanced. "I've already asked you to leave. Now I'm warning you, Damian, get out before I-"

"You what? Call the robo-cops on us? Oh, please. We'll be in and out, I promise. We're just gonna get what we came for. But uh, just in case you try running out on us, lock the door, will ya Ender?"

"I-I told you, Jim's not here. And even if he was, he wouldn't deal with the likes of-"

"Hey, calm down a little, will ya? Really, baby, anyone would think you weren't happy to see us."

That was it. Zara stood her ground, no point in continuing to back away, her voice low and resolute as she glared up at the boy in front of her. "Then 'anyone' would be right. I don't really care about them, it's just you. We were perfectly happy, I was happy, thinking I'd never have to see you again!"

The look in Damian's amethyst eyes changed, their usual pride and superiority replaced by the first hints of anger that Zara had seen since those days in school, his lip slowly curling into a snarl.

"Oh you were, were you? I bet you're still pretty proud of that little trick of yours, getting the three of us thrown out of school like that."

"You got yourselves thrown out! None of it would've happened if you'd just left me and Jim alone!"

"What do you think we've been stuck doing the last three years? Huh? Thanks to you, no other school would even look at us! My own family wouldn't even take me back! They were too ashamed of me. Me! Because of you!"

Zarabeth instinctively flinched as the boy's fist came crashing down onto the counter beside her, the few dishes atop its surface rattling at the sudden impact. Swallowing hard, Zara kept her tone calm and low, unwilling to let Damian get the best of her. "You got what you deserved. That's all I have to say about that. Now for the last time, get out!"

It was hard to concentrate on Damian while keeping an eye on Camellia and Logan at the same time, the female skin changer wandering aimlessly behind Damian as she simply watched the arguing ensue, Logan unmoving from the door.

"You stubborn little..."

Zarabeth's mind reeled in panic as she saw the boy move as if to grab her, instincts acting for her as the blade of a kitchen knife caught the corner of her eye from the counter beside her. In a flash of motion, the girl's hand found the wooden handle of the knife, recklessly swinging it toward Damian. A look of astonishment in the boy's amethyst gaze, Zara fought to keep her hand from trembling as she stood there motionless, the flashing blade a wall to separate the two from each other's reach. "Don't touch me."

The fiery look burning in Damian's eyes only moments ago slowly died, his natural demeanor returning. "What's this for? Oh, Zarabeth, really. All we need is a few answers from you and we'll be gone. So why don't you put the knife down, huh?"

The girl's grip on the wood clenched in her hand only tightened, her knuckles white with the pressure as she spat her words out one-by-one. "I'll put it down, right down your throat, I'll put it down."

"Getting a bit violent, aren't we? Alright, babe. Two can play at that game. Hey Cam!"

Camellia turned to face the boy as he spoke, her face devoid of any emotion.

"That little guy we saw a couple minutes ago, cute right? I wonder who else is up there with him. You should quick go see how many witnesses we might have to take care of."

Struck into silence, Zarabeth's hand began to tremble, each breath a ragged effort at the terrible thought overwhelming her mind. He hadn't changed a bit, knowing full well that threatening her own safety was of no use, but those she loved, that changed everything.

It wasn't until Camellia had climbed two of the steps before the girl finally found her voice to be heard. "No, stop! Please."

What was going on? What were they even here for? She was so confused.

The feeling of a hand against hers brought Zarabeth back into reality.

"Good girl. Now hand it over."

The weight of the knife now gone from her, Zara gave a small cry of surprise as she was flung by her wrist back toward the door. As soon as Damian had released her hand, the girl's forward motion was suddenly stopped by Logan as he caught her in a secure hold, her back to his chest with his arm pinning her securely to himself. "Stop it, Logan! Let me go!"

A menacing smile appearing over his face, Damian's amethyst eyes shone brighter than ever as he closed the distance to where Zarabeth struggled beneath Logan's immovable arm. "Oh, shshsh. I think I'd be a little quieter if I were you. Don't want any of those little kids to come down here and see you like this, do we? So, I'll make this simple for ya, Zarabeth. I ask a question, you give me an answer. You help me, I'll help you. See how this works? Now, where's Jim?"

Zara's heart was pounding mercilessly in her throat as she tried to take an even breath. Why did he care so much about finding Jim? It couldn't be for any good reason. Voicing her question, the girl's voice was forced through clenched teeth and the anger which burned in her chest. "Why?"

"Where is he?"

"Why do you need to know?"

"Hawkins has something. We need it. Where is he?"

"I don't know."

"You sure? I dunno. Seems to me that Camellia might finally have something to do. How 'bout it, Cam?"

"Damian, I don't know! I don't. He left four days ago. Even he didn't know where he was going."

The skin changer's eyes narrowed, trying to read beyond the desperation in Zarabeth's face before shaking his head in resignation. "Well, I guess that doesn't have to be an issue. Next question then. When's Hawkins coming back?"

"I don't know that either."

"You have to at least have a guess!"

"I don't though! I don't know anything, Damian. I don't know where Jim is or why or for how long, so just please leave me alone!"

The skin changer growled in aggravation, pulling a hand over his eyes as he turned his back to the girl, silence persisting for a moment before he began to chuckle in a morbid tone. "Oh Zarabeth, I really hope you're not just being difficult. Could get you in trouble, ya know. Either way, we'll get what we came for, it'll just be a little bit more...round-about-like. He can come to us instead."

Concentrated completely on Damian, Zara didn't know what to take from his words. What did Jim have that they needed so badly?

The skin changer flipped the knife in his hand a few times, as if to test its weight, before laying it gently down at the end of the counter, his tone almost cheerful as he directed his next order at the viperman. "Ok, Ender. Do it."

Zarabeth could feel Logan's arm tense around her, his breathing suddenly shallow as he struggled to answer.

"B-But Damian, you-you said I wouldn't have to anymore."

"Well, ya know what? I don't really care. Plans change, and unless you want to be left on this dust-bowl-planet, you'll do it. Now hurry up!"

Her mind fighting to understand what they were talking about, Zara thought she could feel Logan trembling slightly as he rearranged his grip on her shoulders. Her own shaking breath was caught in her throat as Logan's hand was suddenly clamped over her mouth, the force pulling her head back toward him in a firm jerk. If she was scared before, it was nothing compared to the fear she now felt, her mind reeling as she began struggling again, the viperman's arm unyielding to her efforts.

Logan's warm breath against her neck startled Zarabeth, the girl distracted from her efforts to get free as the boy's voice whispered words, barely audible, in her ear.

"I'm sorry, Zara."

Pain. Sharp, pinching pain throbbed over her neck and back, her whole body rigid with the realization of what was happening. Logan's fangs were in her shoulder.

The scream Zarabeth hadn't managed before now burned in her chest, the viperman's hand keeping the sound from ringing through the room as she firmly shut her eyes, her mind hoping that the darkness would block out the sensations tearing through her.

Now the pain had changed. It felt like something was being released into her shoulder, the new presence of whatever it was instantly beginning to serve its purpose as the girl rapidly began losing control over her mind and body.

Something was being pulled out from her shoulder, the sharp pain dying into a dull throbbing as the grip surrounding her lessened in pressure. Now was her chance.

With what strength she had left, Zara pushed away from Logan's hold, the arm holding her giving way as she stumbled forward. The room about her was spinning slowly, her feet unsure of where they touched the floor as her vision flickered. Her own voice sounded far away and muffled as she felt the wooden floor come up to meet her. The palms of Zarabeth's hands burned with the impact, barely catching her own fall before her mind began to fade. "N-No. I won't...you...Jim..."

From somewhere above the girl, Zara could make out Damian's voice between his own low laughter, his words hardly making sense to her as she fought to hear them.

"Easy, Zara. It'll only hurt more if you resist it. There's a good girl. Ok, let's get outta here. We don't have much time before we meet up..."

With each word, Zara's vision became darker and darker, her trembling breath the last sound she could remember before being plunged into darkness.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Zarabeth shivered, instinctively pulling her arms tighter about her shoulders. A strange sound met her ears as she did. The sound of glass, no, metal. It sounded heavy as it scraped together with every move she made.

Slowly opening her eyes, the girl quickly shut them once more as her head throbbed and pulsed in disapproval. In the small instant she'd seen anything, Zara knew one thing. She wasn't home.

Trying once more, the girl resisted the urge to shut her eyes again, forcing them to adjust to the dim light of her surroundings as she waited out the pain, hoping it would abate if she stayed as she was. Tipping her head in small angles, Zarabeth realized that she was lying on a wooden floor, but not her floor, a dark wood ceiling above her and a similar wall at her back. It was hard to see much else, the darkness of the space keeping the girl from understanding where the room ended.

The throbbing behind her eyes now subsided, Zara gave a low grunt as she forced her hands beneath her in order to try sitting up, her shoulder uncooperative as it alerted her to its soreness. The sound which had woken her only moments ago now repeated their sharp clatter, drawing the girl's eyes down to her hands as she took in a sharp breath. Chains.

Thick circles of iron were secured over each of Zarabeth's wrists, large links of the same metal falling from each band as they lay in idleness about her, only moving as she moved. Pulling herself up the girl hurriedly looked for the origin of the metal which bound her, pulling at the links with her hands till they could pull no more. Looking up, Zara could see that both sets of links were chained to the wall about halfway between the floor and the ceiling.

Zarabeth was fighting to stay calm, to keep control over her emotions as she pulled at the metal, unsure of whether she felt angry or afraid, or maybe it was both.

Chains. She hated chains.

She'd been free of them for years, the sight still bringing back floods of memories she desperately wanted to forget. He would put her in them, her old master, Amelia's father, just before some new punishment or drunken rage, locking her beneath the stairs or in some obscure closet. She wasn't a slave, not anymore. Chains had no place on her.

Where was she? Why was she there?

Damian. The memories from last she was awake flooded through Zara, her mind overwhelmed with unanswered questions and realizations. The kids. Jim. She had to get out.

With newfound strength and determination, Zarabeth stood, pulling and pulling at the chains about her wrists, ignoring the pain in her shoulder and arms until her wrists began to burn with the grinding contact of metal against skin.

"You're gonna hurt yourself if you keep that up much longer."

The all-too familiar sound of Damian's mocking tone distracted the girl from her efforts, turning her head to try to see where the skin changer was.  
The boy's heavy tread against the wood came closer and closer to where Zara stood, her eyes beginning to detect his presence just before he lit a lamp above what she assumed was his head. Whatever Zarabeth had been unable to see before was now perfectly visible, the light revealing that the wall opposite her and to her left were the iron bars of a cell. The skin changer was standing just outside of the bars in a small corridor between hers and another cell, this one empty.

Unchecked anger burning deep in her gut, Zara was instantly trying to get at the boy, the chains keeping her a good six feet from him, even with the wall of bars to separate them, but she struggled none the less, unashamed to let her voice ring across the walls. "You scum-sucking pig! Where am I? What did you do with the kids? So help me Damian Corbett, if you so much as touched them, I'll-"

"Woah, woah. Easy there, baby girl. We left those little brats completely unharmed. I swear. Didn't even see 'em. Now you, on the other hand, were just too easy of a pick-up. Besides, we kinda needed you. Now, maybe you stop making so much noise and I can tell you where you are. Ok?"

Zarabeth didn't like the idea of bargaining with Damian, ever, but what other choice did she have? The girl made no move, her clenched jaw keeping her from letting any words escape her mind as she simply waited for him to do something.

Damian's look continued its calm superiority, moving without tearing his gaze from Zara's unwavering glare as he unlocked the heavy cell door between them. "I don't know why you're acting like this. You should feel right at home here."

The girl stiffened unconsciously, her skin crawling at Damian's words as she fought to keep an unchanged demeanor. "What do you mean by that?"

His eyes seemed to glow as he smiled, his look almost evil as he came closer to where the girl stood, only stopping when they were at arm's length.

It took everything in Zarabeth not to shrink back at his approach, her mind fighting against her instincts to keep completely still, even when Damian's face was only inches from hers.

"You know exactly what I mean."

"No, I don't." The words had hardly left her before Zara took in a sharp breath, gasping as Damian roughly lifted her chin to better face him. She couldn't struggle, she couldn't move, the pull of the chains already biting at her sore wrists.

"That the way you wanna go about this? Still trying to play it off cool?" Enjoying the power he had over the girl, Damian laughed freely as he kept Zara's chin in one hand, the other moving a stray piece of hair away from her eyes. "Keeping it a secret, were ya? Oh this is rich. Does Jim know? Does your pathetic little lover-boy know he's engaged to a runaway slave?"

Using the chains binding her, Zarabeth pulled on them as hard as she could, using the motion to separate her from Damian's hand. "I'm not a slave!"

Unfazed, the skin changer's look never wavered, his amethyst eyes still trained on Zara as he simply took a few steps closer to where she now stood. "You sure? That thing on your neck says otherwise."

The girl instinctively tried to cover the back of her neck, her hand hiding the branded letter 's' which permanently scarred it. "I-I was, but I didn't run away." Dropping her eyes, the thick metal surrounding Zara's wrists clanked together in a heavy sound as she hugged herself, turning her back on the skin changer as she fought to regain control over her emotions. Why did she care so much? Damian meant absolutely nothing to her, yet here she was fighting for the dignity of her own pride.

She wasn't a slave, not anymore, but she still couldn't stand that the mark on her neck and the countless scars over her shoulders and back could still define her to the world as only one thing. Worthless.

Zarabeth could tell that Damian was now right behind her. His breath against her skin sending shivers down her neck as she felt his presence close to her face.

"Poor little, Zarabeth. Doesn't know what to do unless someone tells her."

"Leave me alone!"

Jerking away from the boy, Zara's heart was pounding mercilessly in her ears, every breath an effort as she felt her hold on her control slipping.

Fear, panic, helplessness, it was closing in on her like a smothering fog over her senses. Where was she? Why was she there? What did Damian want? Where was Jim when she needed him most?

Jim. He'd always been there to protect her or save her, whether it was from pirates, or just the perverted mind of Damian, she could always rely on him. Where was he? Was he safe?

The girl's thoughts were broken by Damian's low laughter, his tone as derisive as one would guess to match his mannerisms. "Oh, now, is the slave wench giving me orders? Just remember who kidnapped who, you little brat. Now, back to our discussion, you're just piquing my curiosity all the more with this little explanation you're not giving me. If you're not a runaway, then you must have a pretty generous master to let you go to school like that, out of sight and all, and... Oh wait a minute..."

From the boy's tone, Zarabeth could imagine the amused smirk which must now have crossed his lips, still unwilling to turn around and face him.

"Oh this is rich...but it sure would make sense. Hawkins owns you, is that it? Why else would he still be hangin' on to you? This whole wedding thing is a cover-up to keep you a secret."

With every word, Zara could feel the flames of her anger distinguishing one by one, Damian's explanation almost amusing in its absurdity. Taking a deep breath, the girl slowly turned to face the skin changer, arms still wrapped about her as she let a hint of a smile dawn on her face, her tone even and quiet. "You are despicable." With patience and control she thought she'd never have with Damian, Zarabeth took her time with each word, as if instructing a child. "I was a slave. I was freed. That was four years ago. Jim does not own me, he never did. Jim and I love each other more than life, and not you or anyone else can change that. Got me?" Having said this, Zara crossed her arms defiantly in front of her, ignoring the loud clatter of the chains over her arms as she let a hint of threat back into her eyes. "Now, before I lose my temper again, you'd better tell me where I am and what in the Etherium's name I'm doing here."

Though not quite as proud as before, Damian's amethyst eyes still glowed with the superiority he always displayed, more amused by the girl's reply than moved. "You're not afraid of me, are you?"

"Why should I be? Leaches never scared me. Are you gonna tell me or not?"

Leaning down so that he was at eye level with the girl, the skin changer's answer was equally resolute. "Fine. You wanna know where you are? You're on a ship."

"Really, Damian. Even I could've guessed that. Maybe 'where are we' would be a better way to put it."

"About a parsec from the Medulanic Cloud. There's a spaceport there where we'll change ships. Then, my dear girl, we'll be heading to a surprise destination where we'll wait for your precious little Hawkins to join us."

Despite her attempts, her anger was slowly being rekindled. Why them? Why now? What did they have to do with anything? "But Jim is gone! He doesn't know anything about this!"

"Don't you worry, baby girl. As soon as he's back, he'll come running for you. That little note we left him will do the trick."

"Note?"

"Just the general stuff; where we are, what he needs to bring, threatening your life, blah blah blah."

Releasing a heavy breath, Zara ran a hand over her aching shoulder, her fingers playing over the two swollen places where Logan's fangs had been. "Why are you doing this to us? What does Jim have that you need so much, anyway?"

"No, no. We don't need it. Our employer does. We just need the money we get for doing the job. Make sense?"

"So that's what you three have been doing all this time? Bounty hunting?"

"More profitable than you might think. I figured after we all turned up empty with getting back into school, we fell together, we can get back up together. Camellia is actually pretty useful, now that she's learned her place. Ender, well, he's only still here because he's trying to make up for squealing on us back at school. I'm the brains, Cam's the backup, Ender's how we get people to do what we want. Pretty nice huh?"

"Ahem." The sound of someone clearing their throat from just outside the cell pulled the two's attentions toward the newcomer, Camellia standing beneath the yellow glow of the lamp. "Damian, Captain wants a word. Now."

Releasing an annoyed groan, the skin changer turned to take his leave, flashing a mischievous smile in Zarabeth's direction just before walking up a short flight of stairs and out of sight, leaving Camellia to lock the girl's cell for him.

Trying to get the female skin changer's attention, Zara moved forward until there was no more give in the chains holding her back. "Camellia, please. You have to let me out. This isn't right and you know it."

The girl let out a low chuckle, her long black hair swishing about her shoulders as she shook her head. "So what? Know what time it is, Hartfit?" The skeleton key turned in its place with a sharp scraping 'click', the barred door now locked once more. "Payback time."

Camellia turned with a theatrical flourish back to face the girl, her menacing smile matching the look in her amethyst eyes as she blew out the lamp above her head. "Sleep tight."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

"Zara? Zarabeth? You in here?"

That voice. It couldn't be anyone else. "Jim?" Rolling over from where she lay on her side, Zarabeth looked up to see that it really was him coming down the steps into the brig. "Jim!"

Scrambling to get to her feet, the girl suddenly stopped, the jerk of the immovable chains forcing her to halt in her desperate effort to get to him. All she wanted to do was call his name over and over, but she restrained herself to simply speak in a hushed tone, hoping no one had been alerted to the boy's presence. "Jim, I'm here."

That look, those eyes, Zarabeth had missed him so much. She'd never been so overjoyed to see him.

The happiness and relief Jim felt were evident in that brilliant smile, his steps quickening as he rushed toward the girl. "Zara! Are you ok? Are you hurt?"

The overwhelming feelings of relief she felt could be seen in the tears she let fall from the corners of her eyes, doing her best to keep her voice quiet as she tried to help Jim. "No, no I'm fine, but we gotta get out of here. There's a ring of keys on that wall. The big one opens the door and I think one of the smaller ones unlocks-"

The sharp crack of a gunshot rang through the brig, a pulse of purple laser, fired from the stairs, silencing the room.

Zara tried to scream, but no sound came from her parted lips, the only noise being that of the rattling chains binding her as she fell to her knees. The tears of happiness only moments ago now changed to those of horror as she sat there in stunned silence, her lungs only managing to whisper a single word as she cried. "Jim?"

His lifeless body lay huddled against the barred wall of the other cell, his crystal eyes still looking up at the girl in untainted love.

"Jim!" Sitting bolt upright, Zarabeth's voice echoed through the empty brig, only the smothering darkness to greet her eyes as she hurriedly searched for Jim's body. She was alone. There was no Jim, no one on the stairs. She was awake.

Trying to slow her racing heart, Zara fought against the tears which continued their persistent fall, her breathing uneven and shallow. Pulling her knees up to her chest, Zarabeth buried her face in the fabric of her leggings, the chains grinding together as she locked her arms about her legs, rocking slowly back and forth on her heels. "Just a dream. Just a dream."

The sound of hurried feet coming down the steps across the room pulled Zara into awareness, her whole body tensing as she waited in silence for the newcomer to make themselves seen. Watching and waiting, the girl picked up the sound of something hitting the lamp in the corridor. A dim glow began to emanate from the lamp, Zarabeth quickly replacing her face in her knees upon recognizing the figure beneath its light.

"Y-You ok?"

"I'm fine." She knew her monotone answer wouldn't satisfy Logan, but she didn't particularly care.

"I-uh...was on watch and I heard you. Bad dream?"

"Why would you care?"

"I-I dunno."

Titling her head up slightly, Zara could see the look of frustration marking the viperman's face, his hands running through his dark hair as he took a few steps toward the cell, then back to the stairs, then returning to the cell, the effort taking a good few minutes before he finally managed to speak.

"Zara, I-I know this doesn't fix anything, but I'm sorry. I'm sorry you got involved. It wasn't supposed to be like this. It-It was simple enough when Damian explained it, but...but you weren't supposed to happen."

Pulling her head away from her legs, the girl bit down on her lower lip as she listened to Logan's apology, her head and heart telling her two different things as she sat in silence until he was finished. "You're right. It doesn't fix anything...but thank you." She'd trusted him once before, and it'd done nothing but leave her feeling foolish and betrayed. Why was he apologizing? According to him and the other two, she was the reason that he was where he was.

"D-Do you need anything?"

Finally making up her mind, Zara hoped the hint of a smile was enough to make him understand that she believed him, hurriedly wiping her cheeks as she remembered her appearance. She'd been hurt by him before, but that'd been so long ago. If he was trying to do better, then she would too.

"What time is it?"

"Almost an hour before first light. We'll be at the spaceport in a few hours."

Nodding in understanding, it suddenly dawned on the girl that she did need something. "Could I have some water?"

The viperman was only gone mere minutes before he returned with a flask in one hand and a small roll of white cloth in the other.

Zarabeth never took her eyes from Logan as he unlocked the door to her cell, the viperman slowly approaching until he lowered himself to sit on his knees across from the girl.

"Thank you." Uncapping the small flask, Zara let the cool liquid run down her throat in small swallows, her parched mouth relieved as she nearly finished it off. Handing the almost-empty flask back to the boy, Zarabeth motioned with her head toward the cloth still in his hand. "What's that for?"

Logan shifted his golden eyes down toward the girl's hands, his voice low, almost hesitant. "An apology. May I?"

Suddenly understanding, Zara nodded her assent without another word, her hand trembling slightly as she let the viperman hold it in his.

Being as gentle as he could, Logan moved the cuff of iron as far back on the girl's arm as it would go, revealing the sore and, in some places, bloody skin of her wrists, the result of the endless grinding between them and the rough metal.

Zarabeth winced instinctively as Logan poured some of the water over her wrist, his hands gentle as they wiped away any blood that had already dried.

As soon as he was sure of its condition, the viperman wrapped half of the roll of cloth in a few thin layers over her exposed skin. Satisfied with his work, Logan moved to do the same with Zara's other wrist, the matter only taking a few minutes each.

Looking over what the boy had done, it was hard to suppress the smile wishing to form on her lips, her heart warm with the small act of kindness she'd just been shown.

"Zara?"

Raising her head, Zarabeth tried hard to read the look in Logan's eyes, searching for the smallest hint of anything but honesty, but she found none.

"I am sorry."

"I know. Thank you, Logan."

"I wish there was something else I could do."

An idea suddenly struck the girl, the thought of it playing out so nicely in her head that Zara couldn't help but hope for its possibility. Once thought of, it wouldn't leave her alone. It would have to be flawless to work, but she had to at least try. "Logan...do you really want to be here?"

The question startling him, the boy looked cautiously over his shoulder toward the stairs before returning his gaze to Zarabeth, swallowing hard before replying in a hushed tone. "N-No. Course not. Why?"

"We don't have much time, but...Logan, if you trust me, I'll trust you. We can fix this."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

"What do you mean 'he's gone'?!"

The look of confusion on Delbert's face mirrored those of everyone else around him, the Doppler's large living room easily holding everyone there as they all fought to understand. "He's gone! I was waiting for him at his and Zarabeth's house when he came back. I showed him the note and tried to explain what we could understand of the situation, but that was hours ago. He said he had to go. I assumed he was heading back toward the inn or something, I didn't think to ask, I didn't know what to do, I get so flustered!"

Zara had been missing for almost three days. Delbert was the first to discover the note left by Damian and the others. It was terrible to face, but those still on Montressor knew that there was nothing to be done until Jim and everyone else returned.

"Please be specific, dearest. When you say 'hours', precisely how long has it been?" Amelia was doing her best to retain her calm demeanor, her mind overwhelmed with helplessness and fear at the news of Zarabeth's kidnapping. She was the closest thing that Amelia had to family, aside from Delbert and her children. Zara was, and always had been, a sister to her.

Looking up at a clock hanging above the large solar fireplace, Delbert shook his head in despair. "Three at least. Jim could be anywhere by now."

Sarah Hawkins released a trembling breath, cradling her forehead in her hand as she sat forward in the wing-back chair. "What can we do?"

Talyn shifted his weight from one leg to the other as he leaned against the mantle beside Calypsa, biting his lip nervously before speaking up to answer first. "If Jim's going after Zara, he's gonna need help."

"He's right." Cygnus finally raised his head from where it had been hanging, a hand slicking back his dark hair as he looked at each anxious face in turn. "If all of us are there with him, something is bound to come together. Jim's tough, but he's way in over his head alone."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get a ship and go after-"

Talyn's call to action was suddenly cut short by Amelia's terse interruption. "Now wait just a moment, all of you! You cannot make the same mistake which James has resorted to. That would be foolishness. We shall go about this in the proper way; alert the authorities and leave it at that."

The room which had been nearly silent moments ago now rang with the general disapproval and objections of the younger adults.

"Silence, please!" Amelia's control wavering, the feline woman stood from her seat, her authoritative manner she'd always wielded as Captain of the Legacy back in use. "A handful of newly graduated spacers gallivanting across the system to face-off with pirates will accomplish nothing but the further capture or injury of each and every one of you!"

The tense silence smothering the room was broken by the light voice of Anaise, the Cloud Child taking her time with each word. "With all due respect, Zarabeth has already been gone too long. Jim is out there right now. Time is needlessly being wasted just sitting here arguing. We can't get the authorities involved, not now. You saw what the note said. These pirates are desperate. They'd have no qualms over taking Zarabeth's life if they felt threatened. But if we went, they might not see us as a threat. We may not be much, but Jim and Zarabeth are our friends, and we'll fight harder than anyone else for them. They need us."

The rest of the group waited in anticipation, watching the look in Amelia's eyes soften as she lowered herself back into her chair.

After what must have been an internal struggle to comply, the feline slowly nodded in agreement. "Very well. I understand what you are saying. It is apart from my better judgement, but I refuse to endanger Zarabeth. If we can get James back in our company, we can carefully think through the issue at hand and the best way to go about this, but first thing's first. I can procure a ship, but who of you will be going?"

Each in turn voiced their readiness to leave, even those without any flying or academy experience.

Calypsa's feline fangs peeked out from her timid smile, her cheeks reddening slightly in embarrassment as she explained herself. "I don't know how to help with the flying, but if someone gets hurt, you'll want me there."

"I can fire a laser pistol!" Anaise suddenly joined in with her friend, her eagerness to be of use evident in her eyes.

Seeing his opportunity to put forth his reasoning, Cane was the next to speak up. "Me too. I can fight."

"I may not be good with any of that, but I can sure try. You ain't leavin' me outta this! No sir!" Jewel's accent thickened with every word she uttered, her anxiousness to be gone growing with the rest of the group's as they all hurriedly began making arrangements.

Seeing the futility in objecting, Amelia simply nodded. "It's settled then. We leave as soon as I can locate a vessel. Each of you are responsible for gathering your own general supplies and such. I'll alert you when things are in order. Off you go, then."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

Zarabeth squirmed slightly at the uncomfortable angle her arm was being pulled at, her heart racing with her mind in anticipation as she knew her and Logan's plan would soon be in action.

"Alright, Zarabeth, here's the deal. You be good, you be quiet, and maybe I won't tell Logan to take another bite out of you, ok? No fooling around."

Averting her eyes from Damian's, the girl nodded without a word as she managed a glance small over at Logan beside her, the viperman rearranging his grip on her arm as he met her look for only an instant.

The small group walked down the gangplank in a tight knot, Damian and Camellia holding hands in front of Logan and Zarabeth, the four supposed to appear as couples as they mixed in with the crowd bustling about the spaceport.

With each step, Zara began to grow more and more anxious, her mind constantly scanning the area, waiting for the perfect opportunity to try breaking away from Logan's grasp.

They walked on for a while, the atmosphere of the transport station changing in pace as they came upon the market center of the port. Passing a larger knot of alien spacers, the girl gave the viperman a warning look just before roughly pulling away from his hold, hoping the effort seemed believable enough as she ran head-long into the middle of the spacers. A few of the men let out surprised shouts, Zarabeth stumbling through them as quickly as she could, finally shoving her way into a clear part of the road.

The sound of Logan's angry voice affirmed to Zara that he was following her, her disappearance now, more than likely, also made known to the skin changers.

Unsure of where her feet were taking her, Zarabeth tried to keep her breathing deep and even as she ran through the crowded streets, weaving through clumps of aliens and vendors, dodging carts and stalls. Every once in a while, the girl dared to take a glance back over her shoulder, affirming that Logan was still behind her and Damian and Camellia even further still. They'd broken free. Now they had to lose their unwanted company.

Zarabeth's heart pounded mercilessly in her throat, her energy quickly dwindling with every aching movement of her legs. She wasn't as ready for this chase as she'd hoped, three days chained in a cell taking its toll on her. Adrenaline would be the only thing to save her now.

The road she now ran on was less crowded than the market street, Zara's mind frantically looking for anywhere she and Logan could hide as she continued her break-neck pace.

A hand suddenly latched about her wrist, the opposing force successfully pulling the girl backward just as she was about to run into a new street. Her cry of surprise was drowned out by the rush of motion only feet from where she clung to Logan for balance, a transport carriage rushing right in front of where they stood panting together.

Realizing how narrowly she'd escaped disaster, Zarabeth's mind went blank in delayed fear. "Th-Thank you."

"Come on, they're not far behind."

Zara suddenly remembered what they were doing, her feet reacting before her mind as she began running once more, Logan following only far enough behind to make it appear as if he were chasing after her. The angry shouts of Damian rang through the quiet of the side-street as he spotted her, the girl fighting to push past the aching in her legs as she darted into a narrow alley. Cutting as quickly as she could around the corner of the brick wall beside her, Zarabeth was relieved to suddenly be back out in the middle of another part of the market, daring to hope that a few more alley escapes would lose both skin changers enough to consider her and Logan gone for good.

Zara's feet felt like lead, each step becoming more of an effort than the one preceding it. Her own racing heartbeat and ragged breathing were the only sounds filling her ears, the thought of what waited for her if she failed forcing her to go on.

The girl could hear Logan's own labored breathing closer to her than it had been before. They were running out of time.

Dodging into the entrance of a third alley, Zarabeth half ran, half skidded around the sharp corner to her left, hardly having time to cry out before her feet gave way beneath her, her hands and knees burning at the sudden impact of the cobblestone street which came up to meet her. She couldn't move. Her body had had enough. What chance did they have anyway? No, she couldn't think like that, not now. Come on, Zarabeth, stand up.

Just as suddenly as she'd fallen, she was up again, Logan's strong hands lifting her back to her feet without the slightest effort as he urged her forward. "Go, go, go!"

Her mind back in full clarity, Zara forced herself back into a run as she darted down the narrow alleyway, the sound of Damian's yelling and hurried feet not far behind.

The alley now turned to the right, the girl plowing forward without a second thought until coming face-to-face with a high wall of wooden boards secured to the buildings on either side of them. Stopped dead in her tracks, Zarabeth's mind was working at an exhausting rate, turning toward the viperman beside her, a similar look of panic in his eyes. "Logan, give me a boost. I'll pull you over once I'm-"

"We're not gonna make it."

"We have to try! Come on, we don't have time for this!"

"No, Zara."

Whatever the girl had been about to say was cut off by the cold edge of a knife blade pressed against her throat.

"Logan? What-"

The boy's arm pinned across the front of Zarabeth's shoulders held her to the wall behind her, her confusion keeping her from struggling.

"L-Logan, what are you doing? I thought we-"

The viperman's golden eyes suddenly grew cold, his jaw clenching tighter with every word as he let the blade press a little harder against the girl's skin. "You ran, I caught you. I'm not paying for this, for your mistake. I shouldn't have even tried. There's no escaping it."

He didn't...he wasn't...

Zara's mind was flooded with the familiar feelings of betrayal and hurt she somehow always felt with Logan, more angry at herself for trying to trust him than anything else. How could she have thought he'd changed? Logan only ever acted in self-interest, not caring who's side it put him on as long as he was untouched.

"How can you live with yours-"

"Shut up!"

"Ender!" Damian came running around the corner, his eyes glowing in undeniable hatred as he glared at the scene in front of him, bending over with hands on knees as he fought to regain his energy and even breathing. "You...oh you are gonna get it, Hartfit."

Camellia only a few seconds behind, the girl released an aggravated grunt as she sat atop a feed barrel in the corner of the alley, her words broken by her intermittent heaves for a full breath. "Damian, she's more trouble than she's worth. Why can't we just kill her and be done with it?"

Slowly straightening up, the skin changer's look only continued to harden as he took a few steps closer to where Logan had Zarabeth trapped. "Without her, Hawkins isn't gonna do a thing for us. We want to get payed, we have to make sure Hawkins delivers."

Zara didn't care about the knife anymore, her anger burning unchecked as she struggled beneath the viperman's arm. "You can't get away with this! If Jim is coming, he won't be alone! You'll all rot in prison or hang!"

"Ya, we'll see about that. I'd love to chat, Zarabeth, I really would, but we've got a ship to rendezvous with. You just had better hope I'm in a forgiving mood when you wake up. Ender, make it snappy."

Watching him turn his back to walk away from her, the flames of Zara's anger gradually died, replaced by despair at the thought of being back in chains.

The presence of the knife blade no longer pressing against her throat, Zarabeth released a trembling breath, firmly shutting her eyes as she felt Logan's hand clasped over her mouth. It was almost worse, knowing exactly what to expect this time.

When nothing happened, Zara dared to let her eyes open, her gaze immediately met by the golden eyes of the viperman.

Logan swallowed hard, his voice barely a whisper as he looked down at the trembling girl beneath his arm. "I told you once, you can't fight Damian. Stop trying."

He'd hardly finished his last words before Zara had to close her eyes once again, the searing pain she'd felt before now burning in her other shoulder. Somehow, the whole thing didn't feel as drawn out as it had the first time, the presence of the venom quickly overtaking her as she lost all feeling, mind and body.

Jim, please find me.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

The cell Zarabeth had woken up in was different than the one she remembered. She still had a solid wall of wood behind and beside her, but the other two had a low wall of metal, iron bars making up its top half. The cell was smaller, but as far as Zara could tell, there were many more in that brig, hers being the furthest from the stairs leading up to the deck. There was always some light in her cell, the majority of it coming from the Etherium as its stars shone through the grate above her head.

From the color of the star-dust clouds high above her, Zarabeth could only guess that she had been unconscious for the rest of the previous day, the muted pink and red hues of the Etherium hailing the very early morning. The deck above her was silent, no hurried feet, no orders being relayed between spacers. It was hard to not feel utterly alone.

The heavy chains securing her wrists clanked and rattled as the girl pulled her knees closer to her chest, burying her face in the fabric of her leggings as she let her mind wander. How long had it been since that day back on Montressor? How long would it still be? There was no way of knowing if Jim even knew she was missing.

The events from the day before suddenly flashed in Zarabeth's mind, the memory of it making her hide deeper within herself.

Logan.

Traitor. Coward. Why did she even try? It was foolishness to think he could have changed. He was too afraid of Damian, too concerned with saving his own skin, too much of a coward to do anything if it wasn't for himself.

Releasing a quivering breath, the girl unconsciously brought her hand down to her neck, her fingers playing with the leather cord which almost always hung about it. Her hand trailed down to the heart-shaped pendant hanging from it, the one Jim had made for her, the necklace tenderly held between her fingers. It was a small comfort, the cold metal of the pendant beneath her touch. It somehow made her feel safer, letting her fingers play over the endless surfaces of the cogs and gears. It was as if a part of Jim was with her. He was always present in her heart and mind, but it was different to feel something he'd made, something which was a physical testament to his love for her.

The sound of someone coming down the wooden steps into the brig rang across the nearly empty room, its sudden presence making Zarabeth curl her arms even tighter about her legs. She didn't want to see anyone, not Damian, not Logan, not Camellia. She just wanted to be left alone.

The voice she expected to hear at any moment didn't make itself heard, the sounds of soft footsteps coming slowly toward her, almost with hesitation, the only things to break the silence. Maybe it was Damian thinking she was asleep or that maybe he could sneak up on her. Either way, Zarabeth was in no mood to care, simply remaining as she was with her legs up, head down.

There was the sound she was afraid of hearing, but fully expecting. It was the sound of the ring of keys being taken down from the wall just across from her cell, their sharp clatter only heightening in volume as one was placed in the metal lock keeping Zara's cell door in place.

"Zara?"

The girl tensed at her own name. That voice, it wasn't Damian's. It wasn't Logan's. Her heart immediately began pounding hard in her chest, her mind fighting against the impossibility of the memory of that voice.

The cell door was pushed open as quietly as it would be forced, the hinges only creaking a little as the voice spoke again. "Zarabeth?"

It was. It had to be. "Jim?" There was hardly time to look up before Zarabeth found herself surrounded in the boy's arms.

The sound of his voice as he spoke her name over and over, the touch of his hand warm against her as he pulled the girl to his chest, Zara could almost believe it.

"Is-Is this a dream? Oh, Jim, are you really here?"

His gentle hand stroking the unruly waves of her hair, Zarabeth could feel every fear and anxiety melt away at his voice low to her ear.

"Do I feel like a dream? Does this?"

The girl released a small breath as her chin was gently lifted, her lips immediately met with Jim's. He wasn't a dream. He was real.

Their tender kiss deepened, the boy's hands drawing Zara in closer as she wound her arms behind his back, ignoring the clatter of the heavy iron which rang with her every move.

After what felt like ages, the girl's attempt to pull away was suddenly stopped by Jim's hand as it held her in place, her heart pounding hard in her chest at the sudden movement.

At the first sign of the boy's hold lessening on her, Zarabeth released herself from his touch, hardly having time to think before her head was cradled once more to his chest. Trying to catch her breath, the girl laughed at her own bewildering thoughts, her words muffled by the fabric of Jim's shirt. "Miss me, did ya?"

"More than anything. Believe me, baby girl, you had me worried sick."

"B-Baby?"

Zarabeth's mind, fighting insecurities before, was now reeling in confusion, her stomach turning at their possible reality.

Pulling away from his arm, Zara had hardly sat upright before the boy's hands were cupping the sides of her face, eyes closed, his forehead resting against hers.

"Oh, Zara. I was so scared. I didn't know if I'd find you...alive."

The girl fought to keep her voice from trembling with her breath, her mind wild with terrible ideas and thoughts as she dared to utter a single phrase. "You're not Jim."

As if ignoring her, the boy tried to continue again. "We don't have much time. The crew are all still asleep, but we need to get as far away from here as-"

Her mind forcing her to action, Zarabeth hardly knew what she was doing until the sudden motion of her foot was shoved firmly into the boy's gut.

He stumbled backward on his knees, a low curse escaping his clenched teeth as he sat there for a moment in stunned confusion, an arm clutching at his stomach.

Finally looking up, the eyes which glared into Zara's were not blue. They were amethyst.

"You're not Jim."

The boy's anger seemed to instantly vanish, a hand stretched out toward the trembling girl a few feet away from him. "Wh-What are you talking about? Zara, it's me."

"The next time you try to fool me, Damian, don't kiss me, don't call me 'baby'. I've known Jim's kiss for five years, and that wasn't it. Jim's never called me 'baby' or 'baby girl'. He knows I can't stand it because of you. Now, if that was your punishment, then consider it done. I've had enough of you, you coward. Get out."

Zarabeth's words were the only things to keep her from the tears threatening to fall from her eyes. He'd toyed with her mind and her emotions. He'd brought Jim back in a dream form only to tease her mind with the mirage before mercilessly ripping him from her.

The look in those amethyst eyes softened even more than before, the boy still in Jim's form slowly crawling forward, retrieving the ring of keys from the floor beside him as he spoke. "Zara, I don't know what's going on, but something's not right with you. Now, I'm gonna get you outta those chains, ok? We're running short on time, but you gotta trust me."

"You're not Jim!"

"Stop saying that."

"Get away from me!" For all Zarabeth's resistance, she couldn't move far enough away, the chains binding her always keeping her within the boy's reach as he fought to get ahold of her wrists.

The boy's face wore a look of pure helplessness and sad confusion, the keys in his hand clinking sharply together with every attempt he made to free the girl beneath him. "Zara, please. This isn't you. It's all that venom talking. Remember at school when I had it? You're not thinking straight. Zara, it's me!"

A string of memories flashed in the girl's mind. Jim yelling at her in the middle of an empty hallway, sure that it wasn't Zarabeth standing before him, Jim lying lifelessly in a hospital bed, the effects of so much vipermese venom in his blood nearly killing him, it'd all happened that first year at school.

Was she doing the same thing? Was it happening to her? Maybe it really was Jim sitting in front of her.

No. Jim didn't ever call her "baby girl". He never kissed her like that. He would never glare at her the way that this boy just had, even if it was only instinct.

"No. You're not Jim."

The boy in Jim's form dropped his eyes for a moment, shaking his head in frustration before making a sudden move closer to the girl, trapping her in the corner of the cell. "I'm sorry, Zara. This is for your own good. As soon as we're outta here, I'll get you better."

There was nowhere else to move, no way to shrink back from his hand. Zarabeth squirmed and jerked her arms about, but it was no use. Her wrists were easily caught, the boy trying to find the right key to unlock the first set of chains, causing the girl's mind to reel in panic.

If this wasn't Jim, then she was far safer in chains than freed from them, the girl petrified at the thought of what new horror might await her if she let this boy release her from their iron grip.

She had no choice, she was short on options and opportunity. Zara had to act now.

Doing the only thing she could think of, Zarabeth fought one last time against the boy's grip before biting down hard on the skin of his unyielding hand, desperate to have him off of her.

With a cry which rang through the brig, the boy in Jim's form released his hold on Zara in a flourish of motion, scrambling to his feet with a trail of mumbled curses escaping his lips.

Her hands propped against the wall beside her, Zarabeth pulled herself up to stand facing the boy, her body trembling violently beneath her in a terrible mixture of anger and fear. "Leave me alone, Damian."

"I'm not Damian! Zarabeth, why won't you just listen to me?"

"Because you're lying!"

"No, I'm-"

"Stop it! Stop it!" The clatter of the heavy iron binding her wrists rang through the cell as the echo of her words slowly died, her hands thrown over her ears as she turned her back to the boy. She couldn't take it anymore. The lies, the deceit, she'd had enough.

"Zara?"

She stayed silent, unmoving. Resist.

"Zara?"

His voice, Jim's voice, drew closer with each cautious footstep she could make out behind her.

"Please let me help you. I can."

It was almost worse to not look at him, his voice that of the only person in the world she wanted to see. It was easier for her mind to believe that it really was Jim standing behind her and not an imposter, a phantom, or a poor reflection if she couldn't see those amethyst eyes.

Zarabeth's voice shook terribly, even in its low tone, her hands slowly lowered from her head as she let the heavy chains bring them to rest idly at her sides. "Leave me alone."

"Zara, you don't understand-"

Being turned to face him, Zara couldn't let him finish, her hand thrown across the boy's face with as much force as she could muster, the chains catching him as much as her hand.

The boy's angry voice could only be understood for a moment before Zara's world suddenly stopped, the cell spinning violently beneath her as the force of his backhand threw her to the floor.

Pulsing. Burning. Zarabeth's vision flickered in and out of clarity with every futile attempt to rise to her knees, her cheek throbbing with the hand she could almost still feel.

She'd seen Jim angry before, but the tone in the voice of the boy who pretended to be him was beyond anything she'd ever heard. It frightened her, Zara's mind fighting to remind her that it wasn't really Jim.

"Filthy little slave. Who do you think you are?!"

The effort to get up from her hands and knees was shattered with a swift kick to her gut, the air robbed from her lungs in a sudden cry of pain which made no sound as it dropped from her lips. Gasping for breath, the pain which wracked Zarabeth's sides brought tears to her eyes yet also kept them from falling, her arms wrapped helplessly about her as she waited for the sensations to abate.

Daring to open her eyes, the girl's gaze was instantly met with the dark leather of his boots, the sight instinctively causing her to shrink back as she drew in a painful breath. The touch of his fingers, almost too gentle as they ran through her hair, frightened Zara just as much as the prospect of being hit or kicked again, her already aching body trembling beneath his hand as he spoke in a calm and quiet tone.

"Such a fuss you make, you know that? Don't know what I was thinking, believing I wanted to marry you."

The feeling of the boy's fingers suddenly latching about a handful of her hair, Zara could only gasp at her own fear, the pain in doing so making the sound come out more as a small whimper. Completely at his mercy, Zarabeth could only do as she was urged as she was pulled upright to her knees, the girl's trembling only worsening at the almost evil look in the amethyst eyes glaring mockingly down at her.

"Such a waste of time, marriage. Dad figured it out, I guess I have too."

The words she desperately wanted to scream left her lips as hardly a whisper, no matter the effort she tried to put forth. "He wasn't your father."

"It's 'cause you're all the same. Weak. Pathetic. Helpless. Can't do a thing for yourselves. We take pity on you and justify it by calling it 'love'. We spend the rest of our lives chained to you, and for what? Ungrateful little wretch."

"Stop it."

Jim's voice, his face, but it wasn't him. No matter how hard Zara tried to tell herself that, the endless ringing of his words in her ears was chipping away at her sanity, the tears she could hold back before now falling unhindered down her cheeks as she tried to stop him from continuing.

The boy's eyes momentarily left hers, his amethyst gaze averted to the leather cord of the necklace still hanging from Zarabeth's neck. His fingers slowly trailed down to the small pendant, mindlessly toying with it as he spoke. "Dad knew what he was doing, leaving like that. Mom should've known he wouldn't stay forever. She wasn't enough to make him. You can just watch me do the same, if not today, then someday. It's just bound to happen."

Zara could feel her control slipping into oblivion, the boy's hand in her hair the only thing keeping her upright as she desperately tried without success to look away from those unwavering amethyst eyes.

"Know why?"

With one swift tug, the necklace which hardly ever left her was now torn from her throat, the thin cord instantly giving way to the force as it now lay idly in the boy's grasp.

Zarabeth had no time to cry out before she found herself thrown back to the floor, the boy's hand suddenly released from her. Trying to see through the tears blurring her vision, the girl looked up just as he began to leave the cell, stopping within reach of Zara as he dropped the necklace to the floor.

"You're just not worth it."

The girl's cry to stop him was too late as she could only watch the boy's boot come down on the pendant with a heavy 'thud', the sound of something breaking beneath its weight shattering her heart with it.

"No..."

The grinding of metal and the slamming of the cell door brought Zarabeth back into reality, her body screaming at her to stop moving as she crawled toward the small pile of twisted and broken cogs and gears near the door. Gathering the pieces up in her trembling hands, the girl let out a defeated sob as she hung her head low to the floor. Clutching the small handful to her chest, Zara cried harder than she could ever remember crying before.

She was broken.

Her mind was torn to pieces, her memory still ringing with every hateful word uttered in Jim's voice. Her body ached with the endless sobs which racked it, the pain in her sides and wrists tolerable compared to the pain in her heart.

She fought to remind herself who was really behind it all, but the memory of Jim's face and voice were too overwhelming to subdue, their presence frightening her far more than she ever thought possible.

"That wasn't Jim. It wasn't. It wasn't him."

Her words, quiet though they were, broke through the silence of the brig as they pushed their way past her own sobbing.

She didn't care. She didn't care anymore if anyone heard her or came. She just wanted Jim.

"Jim? Jim, where are you? Please...Please. I need you. I need...Please just come back to me."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

"I hit it! Look at me y'all! That was me!" Jewel's magenta hair bounced about her shoulders in sporadic movements as she giggled and jumped around the front of the ship, loaded laser pistol still in hand.

Cygnus chuckled uncomfortably, doing his best to extract the weapon from the girl's hand. "Yes. Yes you did. I think that's enough target practice for today, but you're getting better, Jewel! I mean, you actually hit the perp!"

At the very front of the ship was a stack of empty barrels and crates, a single perp resting on the utmost top of the stack. What was left of the purple fruit was sizzling atop the blackened and splintering wood of the barrel, the other barrels and crates surrounding the target just as equally charred from earlier misfires.

Cygnus, knowing the most about weapons and handling them, had offered to help those of their party with little or no experience to learn the basics. Besides, they just needed something to fill their time.

Talyn drew a gloved hand over his face as he stared down in disbelief at the sight before him. "Let's just hope the pirates all stand around in a big clump the whole time, that way Jewel can knock 'em off all at once. Better yet, let's just keep her pistol on stun. Then she can fire at whatever she wants."

The girl's bright eyes stood out against her ebony skin, scrunching her nose in mock annoyance at the harpy as she did a little teasing of her own. "Keep talking, hero. I'm not the one holding back on my secret weapon."

Talyn shook his head slowly as he smiled, knowing full-well what Jewel was referring to. "I just don't trust myself, that's all."

Being a harpy, Talyn had a set of razor-sharp retractable claws in each hand, but he'd never been confident in his ability to control them, considering it safer for him and everyone else if he just always wore gloves for protection.

Hopping down from where he'd been observing in the shrouds, Cane chuckled freely as he took another bite out of the perp in his hand, tossing what was left of the core over the edge of the ship as he joined in on the conversation. "Now that I think about it, Talyn, I've never seen your claws. What do they look like anyway? Or should I just ask your girl for a full description?"

Calypsa's small laugh joined in with the others as she looked up at the boy beside her. "Actually, I wouldn't know. You've never shown me."

"Really?" The look on Talyn's face was one of only complete surprise, the endless nagging and teasing around the harpy leaving him unfazed.

"Oh dude, you're not getting out of this one now." Putting Jewel's laser pistol aside, Cygnus shook his head slowly as he hoisted himself atop a crate which was somehow still intact. "They pink or something?"

Crossing her arms defiantly in front of her, Jewel whipped her head about to face the viperman, a threatening brow raised in his direction as her accent thickened. "And what's wrong with pink?"

"Nothing! I'm just curious!"

"Woah, people! Calm down." In a flash of movement, the light leather gloves which Talyn had never been seen without were suddenly removed, the harpy holding up one hand in front of him to reveal the set of inch-long curved claws protruding from where fingernails would have been. They looked as smooth as marble, the afternoon light glinting off of their surfaces, their hue a shade darker than his tanned skin. "See? Nothing special."

"Now those could do some damage. How strong are they?" Cygnus was the first to speak, his look of impressed awe mirrored by those around him as he took a few steps closer to his friend.

Talyn chuckled quietly as he flexed his fingers, not used to seeing himself like this. "I used to be able to cut through leather and that kind of thing, but I haven't used 'em since I was like twelve. I hurt a kid, so that's what I've been doing with gloves ever since. He was fine, but my parents weren't too happy. He deserved it though."

"Twelve? You've really been holding out on us. Come on, let's see ya hit something!" Cane's enthusiasm was glowing in his bright eyes, the boy rolling one of the damaged barrels in the harpy's direction. "Can't be worse than Jewel with a gun."

"Did you or did you not see me blast that perp into oblivion?!"

Ignoring Jewel's irritated remark, Cane set the blackened barrel upright on a less cluttered portion of the deck. "How 'bout it?"

Shaking his head in resignation, the smile on Talyn's lips slowly changed into a look of determination as he retracted the claws to roll up his sleeves, carefully looking the barrel over as he squared himself in front of it.

Everyone watched in anticipation as the harpy's claws showed themselves again, each person stretching over the other to get the best view they could of the damage soon to ensue.

The sound of wood cracking and splintering filled the deck for only an instant before silence persisted once more, Talyn, a satisfied smile fixed to his face, slowly stepping back from the barrel to reveal its condition.

There on the deck was the same charred and splintering barrel as before, the structure still upright, but its middle was severed by three deep gashes, their run penetrating right through the thick wall of wood from top to bottom at a sharp angle.

Eyes wide in astonishment, Cane could only manage a single word. "Woah."

Anaise cringed at a thought which wouldn't leave her mind, arms wrapped about her stomach as she scrunched her nose in imagined pain. "Ouch."

"How-How'd you do that?! You have to do it again! Quick, get another barrel!"

Cygnus restrained Jewel from her intentions, laughing freely as he tried to calm her down. "Woah there, missy. We only have so many of these to use. We need to save something for you to pulverize tomorrow."

"Ha ha, very funny."

"Everybody happy now?" Talyn retracted his claws and carefully placed the leather gloves back over each hand before moving the barrel back to its previous place with the stack, a spark of pride, which hadn't been there before, now burning in his eyes as he smiled.

"Miss deMonde? Could I have your help again, please?"

The group went quiet at the sound of Amelia's voice calling to them from the helm, Anaise immediately getting up from her seat to join the Captain.

It was hard to miss the look of uneasiness clouding the feline's eyes, her usually confident and commanding demeanor tainted by worry for the situation.

"Yes, Captain?"

"I'd like you to try again with amplifying the radius of the ship's scanners. It may work this time since I've rerouted some of the ship's unused power back to the control panel."

"I'll see what I can do."

"Need any extra help?" Genevieve appeared from the ladder leading up to the crow's nest, jumping down from the last few rungs to the deck below.

Anaise looked up from the panel in front of her, flashing the girl one of her ever-cheerful smiles before turning back to the task at hand. "Thanks, but not thanks, Gen. This shouldn't take much."

Watching the girl fiddle with the control panel, adjusting switches and pressing buttons, it was hard for Amelia to hide her growing anxiety.

Everything was so uncertain. Zarabeth had been gone for almost a week, Jim for two days. They were constantly checking the scanners to see if they could pick up on exactly where Jim was, but they were simply too far away, the prospects of catching up to him before he'd reach Zara looking rather hopeless. He was most likely commandeering a small ship, no bigger than a skiff, so he'd be flying at almost twice the speed of the small trade ship Amelia and the other younger adults were now on.

"We'll probably end up rescuing two instead of one," Amelia thought with a small sigh.

Watching Jim and Zarabeth's friends for the last few days hadn't been of any help to Amelia's nerves, the feline mentally wringing her hands in frustration at the incomplete amount of people and talents they had to work with. They couldn't even formulate a proper plan without first seeing and understanding who and what they were truly up against.

"There. That should do it. Picking up anything now?"

After carefully watching the scanners for the slightest hint of something, anything, Amelia shook her head in resignation. "I'm afraid not. James is simply too far away for us to get a read on his position."

"How much longer will we be?"

"At the least, another two days, maybe three. At the rate James is doubtlessly going, he'll reach the pirates a day ahead of us." Straightening out her jacket, Amelia's closing words were lower than her first as she concentrated mindlessly on the wall beside Anaise. "Let's just hope he has the good sense to stay away from them until we can join him."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

"Hey wench, ya you."

"Pretty girl."

"Just one little look up here?"

"Wooh, she's getting steamed now."

"Baby girl's even cuter when she's mad."

It was driving her insane, the endless catcalling and whistling. As long as there was light, someone was almost always above Zarabeth's cell, taunting and goading her till all she wanted to do was scream.

"Get a move on, the lot of you! Leave the lass alone, will ya? She'll have enough of a time without you low-lifes gawking all the while."

If Zara did find any rest, it usually came in the form of the ship's first mate. Even with his very low tolerance for slackers, the girl couldn't tell whether it was pity or simply his orders which drove the man to constantly be looking out for her. But whatever his reasons, Zarabeth was thankful for it.

He was an alien man, his skin a light blue hue, his shoulders and other joints covered in scales of about the same color. His face was long and rounded, a set of large fin-like appendages in place of ears on either side, the fins moving with the emotions in his face. His eyes were large and dark, making even the radiant lights of the Etherium reflect back out as only a dull glow over their surfaces.

Finally Looking up from her lap, Zara dare to let a hint of a sad smile cross her lips, her eyes meeting those of the alien pirate for only a moment, the man simply nodding in her direction before making his way back out of sight.

The world around her quiet once more, Zara let out a trembling breath in relief, careful to avoid aggravating the aching muscles of her stomach as she rearranged herself, now sitting with her legs beneath her. One wrong move or twist and Zarabeth was cringing in pain, the continued price she was paying for her fight with Damian. Every time she thought about it, Zarabeth just wanted to cry and scream all at once. The things he'd said to her, the memories of Jim's voice yelling Damian's words down at her, those amethyst eyes glowing in emotions she couldn't separate, those were the things he'd left Zara with to work through over and over again in the loneliness of the night behind her.

As the Etherium faded from twilight into deeper darkness, the deck above Zarabeth gradually began to grow quiet, the pirates either retreating back to the galley or their hammocks for the night. Pressing her ear to the wooden wall behind her, Zara could hear the sounds of drunken singing coming from the galley maybe a few rooms behind her, something she hadn't picked up on the other nights. The novelty of her discovery soon faded, her mind drifting to other things as she slowly got to her feet, the chains on her wrists clanking and grinding together as they dragged behind her.

Zarabeth slowly paced about the cell, only going as far as the chains would let her before turning to walk in the opposite direction. There was nothing to do, nothing but worry, but that was getting her nowhere. Where was Jim? Was he coming to get her? Did he even know? She wished she knew something, anything.

"Need a deck of cards?"

Startled by the sound of a man's voice behind her, Zara turned to see a human leaning casually beneath the low light of the lamp just outside of her cell.

"I'm-I'm sorry?"

"You look bored."

Releasing a heavy breath, the girl moved some hair out of her eyes before crossing her arms in front of her, more curious than frightened by the pirate's presence. "Wouldn't you be? What are you doing here?"

The human man was middle aged with good build and brown hair fading into gray only behind the ears, his beard cut close to his sharp jawline. He carried himself in a rather casual manner, his dress like most of the other pirates Zara had seen.

The man simply shrugged, his eyes darting about the cell before once more ending on the girl. "That skin changer was supposed to come down here to get rid of the lamps, but he claimed to have other priorities. Trust me, sweetheart, of the line of guys volunteering to come do it instead, you're fortunate that I'm the second mate. I got dibs."

"Fortunate." Zara repeated the man, shaking her head as she rubbed a hand over the back of her neck.

"That kid, the one supposedly coming, he your husband?"

The pirate's words took the girl by surprise, following his eyes down to her left hand before pulling it protectively to her chest, her engagement ring still on her finger. "He will be. I'm actually surprised none of you have tried to take this from me."

"Pirates are a superstitious lot, lass," he laughed quietly. "We don't take wedding rings or dressed, don't pick fights with clergy, and try to stay clear of widows, that is unless we just made them one, then we do whatever we want."

Zara had nothing to say to his crude remark, the silence persisting between the two making the muffled sound of singing and laughter from the galley more audible. Motioning her head to the wall behind her, the girl did her best to riddle some information from the pirate. "Sounds like you're missing quite a party back there."

"Captain's given us all the night off to do as we please. For most of the men, it's just permission to get drunk. Lucky for you, I'm very sober."

Zarabeth couldn't help but let her disgust show in her eyes, the girl assuming a taunting air as she stood her ground, never taking her eyes from the man. "Any special reason for it?"

"Celebrating, of course. We've finally reached Risona."

"Risona? That's the 'mystery destination'."

Risona was one of two planets in that system not under the royal family's rule, the other being Tresslar. The nomadic planet of Tresslar was home to thousands of runaways, criminals, or impoverished families hoping to escape the hand of the government, but Risona's surface was more treacherous than Tresslar's, its rugged terrain making it the perfect hiding place for pirates and criminals, but a difficult place to actually live.

"W-Why there?"

Surprised by her ignorance, the man straightened up slightly. "You really don't know anything?"

"No one's been very willing to tell me."

"The key? Flint's Legacy? Nothing?"

"Flint's Legacy?" The man's words sparked Zara's mind into a flame of sudden understanding. "You mean, it really exists?"

The man laughed low and hard, drawing a hand over his eyes as he leaned against the bars separating the two. "Oh, lass. You are in a spot, aren't you? If it didn't exist, I wouldn't be standing here, now would I?"

Her mind working over what she'd just been told, a memory began ceaselessly playing in Zara's mind. A few years before, when she and Silver had come through Caliban Fever, Silver had given her and Jim something, something he thought was connected to the rumor of Flint's Legacy. Supposedly, before he died, Flint put aside a small portion of his trove for someone, leaving behind a way that only that 'someone' could find it after his passing. Silver said that what he gave them was one of three pieces needed to find that treasure, Silver having the second. Zarabeth hadn't thought about that night in forever, assuming that Silver had given up on finding the third piece. She couldn't even remember where Jim had hidden theirs.

That's why they needed Jim.

"All of this...All of this is for that stupid chunk of metal?"

Zara hadn't even realized she'd spoken aloud until the man's voice spoke up to answer.

"Watch it, sweetheart. That 'stupid chunk of metal' is gonna make us all rich."

A thought suddenly struck the girl, unconsciously stiffening at its new presence in her mind.

The pirates had one piece, Jim had the other, but did they know that Silver had the last one?

"Hello? You still in there somewhere?"

Zarabeth shook her head from side to side in quick succession, as if hoping it would clear of the terrible thoughts plaguing it, pulled back into reality at the man's voice. "Yeah, no. I just...need some sleep."

"Suit yourself." Seeing that the girl's mind was still elsewhere, the pirate simply shrugged as he turned out the few lamps in the brig. "Well, I think I'll be joining that party you were so interested in. Sleep tight."

Left standing alone in the darkness, a dull glow coming from the lights of the Etherium as they shone down through the grate above, Zarabeth could feel herself slipping into deeper fear than she had before.

Silver.

If Jim came, they'd know how to get to Silver. If he didn't show, she could always just feign ignorance of the cyborg's whereabouts. But, if Jim came for her, either of them would be forced to talk if the life of the other was threatened.

A thought, cancerous and defeating, was growing in the girl's mind, the revelation bringing her to her knees as she stared out into the darkness of the world around her, looking but not seeing. There was nothing left to do. She couldn't be saved. Jim had to stay away from her.

They would all be in danger if he didn't.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

"Zara? Zara, honey, wake up."

Slowly being pulled from her dreams to reality, Zarabeth realized that someone was gently shaking her, the revelation causing her mind to jump into awareness as she opened her eyes.

Turning her head to see who was above her, the girl's mind froze in fear, taking in a sharp breath as she hurriedly tried to move away from where she'd been lying. The chains dragging behind her rattled against the wood floor until she could go no further, every inch of Zara trembling as she tried to speak past her heart pounding in her throat. "You stay away from me!"

She wasn't going to be fooled again, her body still reminding her of what resulted the last time she trusted her eyes as she stared un-moving at the boy in Jim's form.

"Zara?" The look on the boy's face could only be read as stunned, hurt almost as he continued to kneel where Zara used to be lying. The sound of the boy's words in Jim's voice was confused but quiet, his lip trembling slightly as he tried to smile. "Zarabeth, what are you...It's me."

The girl frantically shook her head, not caring about the hair which stayed over her face as she hurriedly stopped him. "Stop saying that! Just leave me alone!"

The boy's eyes darted about the room for a moment as he put a finger to his lips, a mixture of fear and sad desperation in those eyes as they once more met Zara's. "Shshsh. The guy on watch is asleep, but I don't know for how long. Zara, please, I'm here to save you."

"How stupid do you think I am? You made a fool of me once, Damian, but never again. Just get out."

For the first time, a hint of understanding seemed to spark in the boy's eyes, those pure crystal eyes.

Wait, they were blue? The other day, they were amethyst.

Was he really Jim? No, she couldn't afford to take that chance. She had no proof. It had to be Damian until he could prove otherwise.

"You-You think I'm Damian?" The boy in Jim's form hung his head slightly as he released a heavy breath, eyes firmly shut in those few moments of silence before looking up once again. "Zara, you have to believe me."

"Stay back!"

"Do you remember our first year at school when I did this to you, thinking you were Camellia? Zara, it is me."

That look, a look only Jim had ever given her, shone in the boy's eyes, his lips still parted with the conclusion of his plea.

Her voice low and quivering, Zara searched over and over again for the slightest hint to betray the boy's charade, but she could find none. "I-I want to believe you, to let you be Jim, but what if you're not? I can't go through that again."

Daring to move a little closer to where the girl sat trembling in the corner of the cell, the boy in Jim's form bit his lip in indecision for a moment before speaking slowly. "You want me to prove it?"

Zarabeth watched in fear as he closed the distance between them, relieved when he stopped to kneel about a yard from her. The look of pure gentleness in those eyes staring down at her, Zara listened as every word matched that tender reassurance emanating from his gaze.

"Your name is Zarabeth Jane Hartfit. You're twenty-three years old and your birthday is only three months after mine. You-You were orphaned when you were...four, but you've lived with Amelia Doppler almost all your life. We met on the voyage to Treasure Planet and you've lived with my mom and I on Montressor ever since."

Biting down hard on her lower lip, it took Zara everything in her not to give in. "You don't have to be Jim to know those things."

A sad smile crossed the boy's lips as she finished speaking, his crystal eyes almost brightening as he sat forward a little more, his voice even more hushed than before. "You're right...I wouldn't." After a minute of silence, the boy's words began as slow and deliberate, taking his time as he waited willingly for the girl's trust.

"The first time I kissed you was in the galley on the Legacy. We sat on top of the tables and talked in the dark while we ate chocolate. I'd just gotten you up from a nightmare."

The walls around her mind slowly began to crumble.

"The first night you were freed, I took you solar surfing. We opened our college acceptance letters together on a bench across the street from the hotel where we had our first dance."

Was it really him?

"You won a bet we had about the Dopplers having more girls than boys, so I taught you how to solar surf. You had your first solo-flight last summer."

It couldn't be anyone else.

"And this, this is something only you and I know."

The boy's lips curled into a half-smile as he shifted his gaze between Zara's hand and her eyes. "I asked you to marry me twice, but you said 'yes' both times."

"Oh Jim..." Completely overwhelmed, Zara all at once found herself collapsing into his arms, her tears of relief falling unhindered over her cheeks until they disappeared into the fabric of his shirt. It really was Jim.

They sat there for she knew not how long, each fear plaguing and ravaging her mind gradually dying at the boy's every touch. His hand as it gently ran over her shoulders and back, his lips leaving small kisses in the unruly waves of her thick hair, Zarabeth wanted nothing more than to stay just like this forever.

"I'm sorry, Jim. I'm so sorry."

The boy's short laugh confirmed to Zara her suspicion. He was crying too.

"What are you sorry for? I'm the one who needs to apologize. It's all my fault."

Looking up to meet Jim's eyes, Zarabeth joined in with his uneasy laughter, the two smiling and crying together as they sat unmoving in each others embrace. "How can it be your fault?"

"The one time I'm gone, the one time, and I couldn't keep you safe when it mattered most. Oh, Zara. I was so scared that I'd lost you."

"But I knew you'd come. You always do." Zarabeth buried her face in the boy's chest as he held her even closer, Jim's breath tickling her neck as he cradled his head against her shoulder.

"Did they hurt you? Are-Are you ok?"

"No, I'm alright, really. I'm just so happy to see you. I-I missed you."

Pulling away slightly, Zara sat up a little more, her head almost even with Jim's. Ignoring the heavy clatter of the chains on her arm, Zarabeth raised her hand to the boy's cheek, her thumb tenderly clearing it of the slowly ceasing trail of tears lining it, her own still continuing to fall as she laughed at her own happiness.

Without a word, Jim gradually began to lean forward, cupping the girl's face in both hands as he stared unwavering into those eyes he missed so much.

Closing her eyes in anticipation, the moments before his lips found hers felt like an eternity, her mind igniting in emotions she'd not felt in a long time the instant that they did. Jim's kiss, this was what she remembered. The smell of his skin, the gentleness of his touch, the passion which still seemed to sing without a sound, Jim was more real than she could yet comprehend, the nightmare of the days behind her suddenly feeling too distant to even matter.

Slowly pulling away from her, Jim couldn't help but smile again as he looked down at the girl beneath his hands. She just looked so beautiful. The unkempt waves of her hair, dirt-smudged face, tear-stained cheeks, those radiant eyes never leaving his, she couldn't have looked more perfect.

"Let's go home."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

Zarabeth's heart was pounding in her ears, the girl nearly certain that everyone else would be able to hear it too as she and Jim slowly made their way through the brig and up the stairs leading up to the deck. She couldn't help but smile a little as she moved with the boy beside her, more than happy to be free of the chains which had bound her for so long. Her hand in his, Zara tried hard not to squirm if Jim rearranged his grip on her, her wrists still so sore from being constantly chained, the bandages which Logan had put on her worn down to almost nothing in some places.

Jim's head now just barely able to see up onto the main deck, the boy signaled for Zara to stay where she was, slowly releasing his hold on her hand as he climbed the remaining steps.

Zara watched with breath held as Jim cautiously looked about the silent deck, the boy only waiting till he was certain it was safe before motioning for her to join him. One nervous step after another, it wasn't long until Zarabeth was standing on the gently rocking surface of the moored ship.

Taking a quick look around her, the girl was slightly taken aback by the size of the boat, larger than the Legacy by maybe another half a length. It would take quite an extensive crew to keep it flying.

Being as quiet as possible, Zara tried to keep her breathing deep and even, her mind constantly working over their surroundings as she and Jim began making their way down the far length of the ship. It wasn't until a sound, a deep bellowing yawn caught her ears, its presence freezing the two in their steps as they unconsciously turned to see an alien man making his way out from the crew's quarters. His large eyes catching sight of Jim and Zara, the squid-like pirate stared in shock for a moment.

"Go, go, go!"

Jim was the first to react, the boy pulling on Zarabeth's hand as the two stumbled down the rest of the deck toward the port side, the pirate's calls for help to his companions ringing across the ship.

Zara could hardly keep her feet moving in a coherent pace, her aching legs screaming their disapproval as she tried to keep up with Jim, her mind reeling in panic. They had to escape. They had to make it.

Zara caught sight of a small mast bobbing lazily on the other side of the rail a few yards away, presumably attached to the boat Jim had used to get there.

Once alongside the craft, Jim hurriedly hoisted himself atop the thick wooden railing before dropping down about eight feet into the bottom of the skiff. Hardly waiting to regain his balance, the boy turned back to face the girl above him, hands held up toward her, promising to catch her.

Of anything Zarabeth feared, heights wasn't one of them. Falling from them was. But this was no time for her childish phobias.

Frantically pulling herself onto the railing, Zara did her best not to look at anything but Jim as she let go of her every instinct and pushed herself from the safety of the ship, the sound of angry voices and hurried feet behind her urging her forward. She was only falling for an instant before Jim's strong hands caught her.

A surge of pain shot through Zara at his touch, her sides burning beneath his hands as she unconsciously let out a sharp sound mixed between a gasp and a groan.

There was no time for Jim to be worrying about her, Zarabeth pushing herself up from where she'd crumpled to the bottom of the boat as she tried to reroute Jim's attention, the pain quickly dying back into a dull throb. "Just go! Hurry!"

Without another moment of delay, the skiff suddenly pushed forward, its small solar sail flowering into full size as it immediately began to soak in the early morning light. The small craft steadily gained speed as it flew forward, its thrusters as open as they could be, leaving the angry objections of the pirates behind them.

"You alright?" Jim fought to be heard over the loud hum of the thrusters, his eyes darting between the girl rising to sit beside him and the variegating scenery about them.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Looking over her shoulder, Zara's breath was suddenly caught in her throat as she watched the pirate ship almost a quarter mile behind them slowly begin to move. They were being pursued.

"Jim, they're coming this way!"

Taking only an instant to follow her eyes, the boy clenched his jaw in determination as he began adjusting the steering handles directing the skiff. "Then, we're gonna hafta lose 'em! Hold on!"

The chilled air whipping over Zarabeth's face made her eyes sting as she squinted at the terrain around them, the skiff recklessly dodging trees and rugged cliff sides, barreling forward as fast as the craft would go. Zara could hardly believe the maneuvers Jim was pulling off, the skiff sometimes barely missing hitting a tree headlong from around a corner or flying only inches from the face of a wall of rock. It would take everything in the girl not to shrink back at some of their close encounters, her knuckles white as her hands clutched for dear life onto the wood of the boat's rail and the bench beneath her.

A new sound made itself heard above the din of the thrusters, its presence fighting for the girl's attention just before a part of the rail at the very front of the skiff gave way with a small explosion of blackened and splintering wood.

Startled, Jim's concentration was shattered with the railing, his eyes darting back over his shoulder as he suddenly realized what was happening. "Get down!"

Instinctively doing as she was told, Zara held the rail beside her with one hand, the other covering her bent head as she crouched as low as she could. The sounds, like the one before, of something pulsing over and over again in sporadic intervals made themselves heard from all sides around the skiff, the girl turning her head to look across the boat to see what it was.

Purple pulses of laser were being showered down toward her and Jim, the misfires exploding against the rocks and trees around them. The pirates were shooting at them.

The terrain around them suddenly opened up, the tight squeeze between tree and rock now gone as the mountains parted into a small wooded valley. A large lake covered the area beneath the skiff, the surrounding ground littered with winding rivers jutting out from the lake like gnarled fingers, each eventually disappearing into the tree line beyond.

The sound of fabric being torn drew the girl's attention upward, the sight just behind her making her heart sink to her stomach. Their sail was being punctured with smoldering hole after hole, the thrusters sputtering to half their previous speed with the loss of solar power. The boat was losing altitude, the craft now barely flying forty feet from the watery surface beneath.

Looking over her shoulder Jim's gaze met Zara's for only an instant, those crystal eyes filled with emotions beyond worry, the boy's mouth open to say something when the whole boat suddenly jolted forward.

There was no time to scream, Zarabeth was falling before she could even understand what was happening.

A rush of air, the sound of splintering wood, it was all silenced at the biting impact of water surrounding her on all sides, her whole body submerged beneath its surface.

It was so cold.

She couldn't breathe.

She couldn't move.

She couldn't see.

Only thick haze met Zarabeth's eyes, the icy bite of the water keeping her from struggling as her own weight slowly began to pull her deeper into its suffocating clutches.

With almost no breath left in her lungs, Zara used her last ounce of strength to stretch her hand upward toward the the shimmering place where water met sky, that place slowly growing farther and farther from her reach.

Fighting to get her mind under control, Zara thought she could hear the sound of something heavy hitting the water near her, the sound followed by a similar but smaller sound as the few rays of light above the girl were suddenly blocked.

In those moments or minutes, Zarabeth didn't know which it had been, her heart's racing began to slow, her eyes no longer able to stay open as she felt her world begin to fade.

She couldn't fight it.

Even in that cold, she somehow felt warm, her mind drifting with the water around her as the remaining breath she'd been holding fell idly from her lips.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13:

"Zara, don't do this to me. Come on, breathe. Zarabeth, please."

The girl's mind could barely make out the sound of Jim's frantic voice as it spoke above her, unable to control her own body as she felt her head being tipped to the side. Why couldn't she move? Zara could feel her consciousness slipping back into the darkness when something suddenly changed. Her head turned upward once again, a feeling, a sensation, a burst of air suddenly filled her lungs.

Her mind coming back to itself, Zarabeth wanted nothing more than to open her eyes, to tell Jim that she was alright, but she couldn't breathe, not a sound fell from her already parted lips.

That same rush of air filled her another time, then another, then on the fourth, it was as if a wall had broken.

Her chest heaved upward in a gasp for breath, the girl coughing and sputtering as she rolled limply to her side. Zara's fingers clutched at the ground beneath her as she fought to get to her knees, water dripping down her face and from her open mouth. She felt so heavy, her every movement an effort as Jim's voice began to clear in her ears.

"You're ok. You're ok. Just keep breathing."

His strong hands helped her to her knees, Zarabeth's arms trembling violently beneath her at the sudden realization of what had just happened.

She'd nearly drowned.

Her coughing finally ceasing, the girl tried to take deep breaths, her heart pounding in her ears as she hung onto Jim's arm. "Oh, Jim. I...you..."

"I've got you. You're ok."

Surrounded in each others embrace, the two sat there for a moment in utter silence, sopping wet and shivering at the smallest breeze as they listened to the sound of the others labored breathing.

Jim's heart raced beneath Zara's cheek, the girl releasing another hoarse coughing fit before burying her face once more in the soaked fabric of the boy's shirt. His hands which held her close were trembling, whether from cold or fear, she could not tell, but if it was fear, he had every reason for it.

The silence around the two was broken by the deep hum of an engine, the sound gradually getting louder as it drew near.

Jim's head shot up from where it had been cradled against Zarabeth's, the sight above urging him into hurried action as he tried to rise to his feet. "Zara, we gotta go. We need to hide before-"

The girl, almost standing upright, dropped back down to her knees in surprise as a pulse of purple laser narrowly missed her head, a patch of ground only feet away from her now seared in her place. Zara's voice was strained and gravely, but her single word made itself heard above the volley of shots to follow the first, each landing around the two as she forced herself back up. "Run!"

Adrenaline was the only thing to keep Zara's feet moving one in front of the other, Jim beside her as they ran alongside a shallow river, hoping the trees only a few hundred feet in front of them would provide the cover they needed to hide.

It was hard to concentrate with the zapping of lasers flying past her and Jim on all sides, the girl instinctively ducking her head at every shot.  
Her body felt so heavy, her wet clothes still dripping down her arms and ankles as the sleeves of her blouse flapped against her skin, heavy and awkward.

They were so close to reaching the tree-line, the breeze flying past their faces bringing the sound of rustling leaves to their ringing ears.

Relief flooded through Zarabeth as her face met the shade of the foliage around her, safety tangibly within her grasp, but the feeling was shattered in an instant.

With the firing of another laser, Jim's pained voice rang through the quiet of the forest, the boy tumbling to the ground just behind Zara.

"Jim!" Her body seemed to move on its own, Zarabeth instantly on her knees beside the boy before she could truly understand what had just happened. Her eyes following where Jim's hands clutched helplessly, the girl's heart began to pound in her ears at the sight beneath her.

A thick gash, burned and bleeding, was torn right through the skin just above Jim's left knee.

The boy hurriedly tried to return to his feet, but the moment pressure was put back on his leg, another cry of pain brought him back to the ground.

"Jim! Stop, stop! Hold onto me-" Zarabeth's words were cut short as another wave of coughing racked her aching sides, the burning feelings doubling her over onto her hands and knees as she waited for the fit to end.

Jim spoke past his clenched teeth, his words forced through the pain attacking his mind and body as he tried to push the girl away from him. "Zara, run!"

"Hold onto me!"

About to object, Jim's words were drowned out by a new volley of shots fired down toward them, most of the lasers missing by only yards as they hit the ground just outside of the forest.

"Zarabeth, now!"

"I'm not gonna leave you!"

"Yes you are!"

Ignoring the boy's protests, Zara pulled Jim's arm over her shoulder, struggling to her feet with the addition of Jim's weight as she helped him over to a large tree a few yards further into the dense forest, going as fast as her feet would take her without hurting Jim more. The tree sat just on the edge of the slow-flowing river to their right, some of its roots, like many of the trees around them, bowed up in the middle to create a space beneath them to form a natural cave.

With the sound of laser guns still being fired down near them loud in her ears, Zara pushed away the wall of leaves hanging in front of her as she moved Jim through. Her breathing heavy and labored, another surge of coughing pulsed through the girl's chest just as she began to help Jim to the ground.

The hum of the ship's engine was closer than ever as it resounded above the trees, even the occasional order being yelled to the crew became audible above the din.

"Zara? You-"

Looking down at the boy beneath her, Zara could feel her heart breaking at the look of pain flooding his crystal gaze.

Jim gave a low grunt as he pulled his left leg up a little closer to himself, pushing each word past the searing pain trying to block his mind.

"You-You need to get out of here. It's not-" The boy firmly shut his eyes as he tipped his head back, releasing a tight breath as he waited for the renewed throbbing to subside. "It's not safe. They'll come down here and try-"

"Jim, stop." The sound of her own voice scared Zara, her tone more harsh than she'd meant for it to be. She couldn't take it anymore. Kneeling beside the boy, Zarabeth released a trembling breath before cradling her forehead in her hand, her only word hardly above a whisper. "Please."

"Zarabeth, listen to me." Jim wasn't angry, but he was beginning to feel frantic, nothing but desperation in his voice as he fought for each word. "I can't go anywhere, but you, you need to run. I refuse to be the reason you get caught again. Now go. Hurry."

"Go? Go where? Jim, I'm not leaving you. I can't. I won't."

"You have to! Zarabeth, please. I can't let you-"

"Would you leave me?"

Taken aback, the boy's confusion was more than evident. "What?"

Fighting to make him understand, the tears brimming in the girl's eyes refused to fall until she spoke again. "Would you ever run if I told you to, if it was me lying there instead of you? Would you leave me?"

"N-No, but-"

"Then don't ask me to." Resolved in what she had to do, Zara looked cautiously around them as she cleared her cheeks of her tears, the sound of laser fire now completely gone. "We should get out of the open. Can you move at all?"

Releasing a heavy breath in resignation, Jim pulled a hand over his face before forcing himself to sit upright a little more, cringing with any sudden movement of his leg. "I'll be fine. Just tell me where to go."

With only the forest in sight from every direction, their options were looking more and more limited.

About to speak, Zarabeth's thought was cut from her mind at the sound resounding above the two, the trees around them quivering at its constant tone. The pirate ship was right above them.

Her mind leaping into renewed awareness, Zara knew that they had to act now if they wanted to escape their predators, her and Jim's window to hide quickly closing. Without another moment to think or wonder, Zarabeth began helping Jim to move closer to the tree, the two squeezing beneath the opening where one of the roots bowed up to the entrance of a natural space beneath the tree itself. Once inside, Zara was relieved to find the space large enough to easily hold both her and Jim, propping the boy against the surface furthest from the opening, the few knotholes here and there in the wood above them letting in small rays of the late morning light to break the dimness.

The deep hum of the ship engine high above them remained for what felt like an eternity before it gradually began to fade into the distance behind them, Zara's relief growing with every moment it grew quieter.

Releasing her pent-up breath, Zarabeth pushed the few pieces of wet hair which stuck to her cheeks behind her ears, biting her lip nervously as she turned to face the boy beside her. "Well, I think they're gone."

Jim nodded in agreement, eyes firmly shut as he re-positioned himself against the wood at his back, his reply more of a grunt than anything else. "For now."

Moving to sit in front of him, Zara's heart felt like it was being torn apart at the very sight of the boy's leg. "Oh, Jim..."

"Hey. Look at me."

Trying to take even and calm breaths, Zara hoped the tears returning to her eyes would stay there. She didn't want to cry anymore. She was so tired of crying.

How could Jim look so relaxed? Aside from the intermittent waves of pain, those crystal eyes were as steady as ever, nothing but love at the heart of their expression.

"I'm ok. It doesn't feel as bad as it looks. Really."

"And for some reason, I don't believe you. Really." It was hard for Zarabeth to keep her fingers from trembling as she carefully tore at the ripped fabric around the bleeding gash, the extent of the injury now plain to her eyes. Releasing a heavy breath, the girl ran a quivering hand over her face before returning her wet hair behind her shoulder. "We need to stop the bleeding, but I-I don't know what I'm doing. Do you know how?"

Jim gave a small grunt as he slowly moved to more of a lounging position, propping his leg up a little higher as he tried to smile. "Good thing for the Academy, right?"

For the next while, Zarabeth was busy following Jim's instructions, using the fabric from part of one of Jim's shirt sleeves to create a make-shift tourniquet, the girl only relieved when the wound's flow of blood ceased its insisting.

Zara's deep and even breathing was helping to keep her hands from shaking as she wound the strips of fabric from Jim's other sleeve over the gash, biting down on her lip nervously as she tied it off, the pressure causing the boy to unconsciously wince.

"Sorry. That feel ok?"

Jim hurriedly reassured the girl, propping himself up on one elbow as he rearranged himself against the wood behind him. "Yeah, that's good. Even Calypsa couldn't have done better."

Allowing herself a small smile at the praise, Zara's words, at first cheerful, slowly died away as she finished, her mind trailing elsewhere. "Well that might be pushing it, but thank you."

It was hard to see how this day could get any worse. They were stranded on a planet at the edge of the system, hunted down by pirates, Jim was injured, and there was no real help or escape in sight. The gravity of the situation came crashing down on Zarabeth with more force than she could process, her mind paralyzed in overwhelming confusion and fear. What had she done?

"Zara?"

Her mind pulled back into the present, the girl fought to collect herself as she raised her eyes to meet Jim's.

His arm opened up beside him, Jim's crystal eyes seemed to call Zara to him, his smile as gentle and comforting as his voice. "Come here, you."

Lying beside the boy she loved, Zarabeth's every attempt to control her emotions gave way, her tears slowly falling down her cheeks as Jim cradled her head to his chest, his hand gently running over the girl's arm as she quietly cried. "I-I'm sorry, Jim. It's all my fault... I'm so sorry."

"Why is any of this your fault? You didn't ask to be kidnapped. You didn't shoot me, did you? You can't blame yourself, Zara, just like I know I...I can't blame myself. Ok?"

"I just...This wouldn't have happened if...if you hadn't come for me. I thought if we could make it, then it wouldn't have mattered, but now-"

"Shshsh."

Jim's finger pressed against the girl's lips brought her to silence, Zara hesitantly tilting her head up to meet the boy's eyes as she instantly felt herself lost in them.

"I came for you because I love you, because without you, the better part of me is gone. This is a small price to pay compared to what I'd willingly endure for you. You are beyond worth it. So don't question 'why' or 'what if'. What's done is done, but it doesn't change the fact that I'd do anything for you. Everything will be fine. Remember? Somehow, everything always works out for us? As long as I have you, I'll be alright."

Her heart threatening to burst with every word, Zara released a small breath as she closed her eyes, the feeling of Jim's kiss against her forehead flooding her mind with peace and contentment she hadn't felt in a long time.

For a little while, she was happy just to lie there in Jim's arms, listening to the sound of his heart race with hers, each breath as even and calm as it could possibly be. Everything was going to be fine. It had to be. They had to make it.

Upon opening her eyes again, Zarabeth's gaze was instantly captured by Jim's, the boy's look concerned, but almost more nervous than anything else as he slowly voiced the thought plaguing his mind.

"Back on the ship, when you thought I was Damian...you said you couldn't go through that again. What...What did he do?"

The comfort she'd felt only moments ago was shattered at the boy's question. Zara lay there for she knew not how long, swallowing hard before slowly rising to sit up, pulling her knees close to her chest as she linked her hands about them, ignoring the protest of her sore wrists. She didn't want to tell him. She knew he'd only blame himself, but it would worry him more if she didn't say anything.

Damian. Even just the thought of it all sickened her, the memories of the skin changer in Jim's form yelling down at her causing her chest to tighten painfully.

Releasing a heavy breath to urge herself forward, Zarabeth began slowly, her words quiet and deliberate. "Damian came down to the brig a few mornings ago looking like you. He pretended to be rescuing me, and, for a little while, I really thought he was you. He held me, h-he kissed me...but something was wrong, and I could feel it. I tried to get him away from me, I did, but he kept insisting that I was wrong, that it really was you. He even used the same reason as you did, that it was just all that vipermese venom making me think he wasn't real.

I kept telling him to just leave me alone, but he kept at it. I got desperate. I hit him...but he just hit me right back. He kicked me. He yelled at me. I thought getting him angry would make him change back into his real form, but it didn't. He even said all this stuff about your dad and it just...I couldn't escape. He looked like you. His voice was yours. I knew who he really was, but I couldn't forget those things he said. I look back on it...and all I see is you."

The dead tears which continued to fall unhindered from Zara's eyes, were steady and slow, the girl almost ignoring them as she reached into the pocket of her dark leggings. Cupped in her trembling hand was what was left of the necklace Jim had made her, Zarabeth biting down hard on her lower lip before finally continuing. "We take pity on you and call it 'love'."

Daring to look back, Zara's heart dropped at the mere sight of the boy beside her, Jim's mind struggling over what to feel. His eyes radiated with such a drastic mixture of anger and compassion, it was hard for Zara to watch him fight between emotions, the boy's chest rising and falling in aggravated breaths.

Hoping to relieve him of his inward struggle, Zarabeth leaned back down toward Jim, her hand resting against the side of his face as she forced him to look at her. "But none of that matters now. It really was you today, and now we're back where we belong, together. So, even though I'm still scared of what might happen to us, you found me. You saved me. Thank you."

Giving up his anger and frustration, Jim slowly let his lips curl into a half-smile, his hand raised to cup the girl's tear-stained cheek as he gently ran his thumb over their trails. "Thanks for still being alive."

"I hang on for you. I knew you'd come eventually, I just didn't know if you had even gotten home yet or not. What-What was that all about, anyway?"

The frustration returning to his eyes, Jim slowly shook his head in aggravation as he looked away. "There was some big delegation in the capital last week and they'd wanted to double the security, so we all got called up there to play guard-dog for a few days. Utterly ridiculous, but I guess you can't say no to the royal family. Nothing happened, so we all got home almost four days ago. Delbert told me what happened and I left as soon as I could dig up that skiff we just dunked. I guess...maybe coming alone wasn't the smartest thing...I even had to tell Morph to stay home, but I didn't want to put you in any added danger. So much for that."

The boy gave another low grunt as he lowered his left leg down closer to the floor, his eyes firmly shut as he waited out the renewed waves of pain to fade.

Looking down at the bandage, Zara could see that the tan fabric of Jim's sleeve was slowly darkening with the blood beneath it. "I should probably put another layer on before you get too comfortable. I'll be right back." Hurriedly replacing the pieces of necklace into her pocket, Zarabeth ran her hand over what was left of her tears before turning around.

"Back? Back from where? Can't you just use the rest of my shirt?"

"We don't know how cold it gets down here at night. You'd better keep as much of that as you can, Mr. I'll just use one of my sleeves, but I'm gonna go quick rinse it out in the stream. Be right back."

About to object again, Zara was already out from beneath the tree before Jim could say another word, the boy simply laying his head back down to wait for her.

The quiet gave Jim some time to think, his pondering only interrupted by the few bursts of renewed pain coming from his throbbing leg. When he wasn't fighting off the mind-numbing feelings, the boy could think realistically about he and Zara's present situation. What were they going to do? They couldn't just hide there forever. Eventually they'd both need to eat. With no boat, they were left stranded, hiding for their lives from the band of pirates desperate for their hides. Those creeps had the upper hand.

Propping himself up a little, Jim reached into his pant pocket, his hand firmly clutching the object hiding there. Holding it up to the low light beaming down from a knothole, the boy couldn't help but scoff at the chunk of metal between his fingers. "Stupid thing." All of this pain and trouble for that little...little... Jim didn't even know what it was.

Putting it back where it had been before, Jim released a heavy breath before pulling a hand over his eyes, turning his head to face the opening beneath the tree as he waited for Zarabeth to show up.

Minutes passed, nothing happened. Jim tried to lie very still. There was no sound except for the wind in the trees and the even gurgle of the river maybe fifteen feet away.

A slew of ridiculous thoughts quickly overtook Jim's mind, the boy hurriedly pushing them aside as him being paranoid, but when nothing happened for another minute, he dare to let his voice softly call out to the silence. "Zara?"

Nothing.

"Zara?"

Silence.

A little louder, Jim pushed his arm beneath him as he sat up. "Zarabeth?"

No answer.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14:

"Zara?"

Jim, no!

"Zara?"

Jim, stay where you are!

"Zarabeth?"

Struggling for all she was worth, the arm secured over Zara's shoulders wouldn't budge, her screams to warn Jim barely making a sound through the hand secured over her mouth. She pulled, she squirmed, she kicked her legs up as far as her aching body would let her, but her efforts were met with nothing but Damian's quiet snickering as he held her all the tighter.

"Easy, baby girl. Don't wanna ruin the surprise, now do we?"

Zarabeth could only watch as a few of the pirates gathered on either side of the opening beneath the tree, ready to grab the unsuspecting boy as soon as he'd show himself.

About to release another scream, the girl's heart suddenly stopped as the sound of Jim's low grunting met her ears. He was coming out.

No, no, no! Her struggling renewed, Zara knew her desperation would get her nowhere, but she had to keep fighting. Giving in was not an option.

How could she have been so stupid?

After what felt like so much longer than mere moments, Jim finally appeared from beneath the surface of the tree roots, his expression instantly hardening at the sight of Damian. "You. You get your filthy hands off Zara before I-ahh!"

Her words still blocked, Zarabeth was forced to watch Jim's face cloud over with searing pain as he was roughly dragged to his feet, her desperate pleas indistinguishable to even her own ears as she began struggling again.

Damian's laugh was casual, but his words dripped with the venom evident in his voice, the skin changer only releasing his hand from Zara's mouth after he'd finished his welcoming statement. "Hawkins! Long time no see. Nice of you to join the party! I think you make us all accounted for."

Zarabeth fought to turn her head enough to face the boy holding her, nothing but desperation in her voice as she squirmed beneath his arm. "Damian stop! You can't do this!"

"Uh, I believe I already am."

"Damian, no! You don't understand! Jim is hurt! He can't be up like this-"

"Woah, woah! Calm down, baby. It's all under control." The skin changer couldn't help but chuckle softly as he tapped the girl's cheek in mock comfort, his amethyst eyes glowing all the brighter with every word. "Really though, how rude of me. Here, fellas, hold this for me."

She'd fought so hard to be free of his arm, Zarabeth could do nothing but give a small cry of surprise when it was taken from her, the girl roughly shoved toward the remaining pirates standing idly beside Logan and Camellia. Falling into their hands, Zara took in a sharp breath as her arm was twisted at a painful angle behind her back, her struggling only making her body scream its disapproval at her with every jolt and pull. Her fighting getting her nowhere, the girl looked up in desperation at Jim, the boy's face darkened with evident pain as his chest rose with each ragged breath.

His face marked with his usual superior air, Damian made sure Zarabeth was secured before slowly approaching Jim, shaking his head slowly as he paused his forward motion at arm's length from him. "I believe a little show of our hospitality is in order, eh Hawkins? After all, aren't we in the presence of a naval captain?" Damian's gaze suddenly hardened just before throwing a firm punch to Jim's stomach.

"No!" Zara pulled and pulled, but her desperation alone wasn't enough to get her to Jim's side, helpless to do anything but watch as the boy doubled over in pain, his arms released so that he crumpled unhindered to the ground.

"Glad to see you can still take a hit, Hawkins."

"Damian, please!"

Slowly moving the jagged mess of black hair up from his eyes, the skin changer's voice took on an almost cheerful tone. "Well what d'ya know? I like it when you ask nicely." His attention redirected, the skin changer smirked in satisfaction as he took a few steps toward the girl, only stopping when their faces were mere inches apart. "Do it again."

Using every ounce of willpower she had not to shrink back, Zarabeth's voice dropped to barely above a whisper as her gaze shifted between Damian and Jim. "Please. I'm begging you. Just leave him alone."

"Begging?" Damian threw his head back as he laughed, straightening up to full height before drawing a hand over his eyes. "Oh, this is rich. I've got you pretty desperate, haven't I? Well keep watching, baby girl, 'cause I'm not done yet. You two should consider yourselves lucky that we found you now. Much later and the Captain might not feel so merciful when we get back."

His lips curling into a dark smirk, Zara's back went rigid in fear at the changed look in Damian's eyes.

"But depending on how this turns out, I may finally get what I want. Hawkins won't be in the way for much longer. Would it really be so bad if I won, if you gave in?"

"Back off, Corbett!"

The sound of Jim's voice, broken and strained pulled Zara's eyes back to him, her heart twisting at the look of pain and undeniable fury filling his eyes.

"You...you stay aw-ah!"

Turning to face the boy, Damian was obviously getting nothing but amusement from watching Jim try to get up on his own, motioning for the pirates to stand down when he finally succeeded. "What's that? I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that last bit."

Relying heavily on his right leg to keep him upright, Jim's eyes burned into the skin changer standing only feet in front of him, his jaw clenched tighter with each labored breath he took.

"What's the matter, Hawkins? Cat got your t-"

Jim didn't wait for Damian to finish before catching him hard in the jaw with a solid right hook, the unexpected force knocking the skin changer straight to the ground.

"That's for Zarabeth."

Zara's desperate pleas were ignored as the pirates immediately regained their hold on the boy, roughly shoving him to his knees, the bandage wrapped about his leg no match for the renewed bleeding pushing through it.

"Get them on the boat! No, don't bother tying her up, just go! Move!" Damian was in a state of raging fury, his casual humor only moments ago now turned completely around as he tried to get back to his feet, barking orders all the while.

Only moving where she was forced, Zarabeth's head whipped about to find Jim in the chaos of motion and people around her, her eyes focusing on the strange sight behind her instead.

Damian now on his hands and knees, Camellia had rushed to his side, the girl bending down in the dirt beside him to help him up, but Damian wanted no part of it, shaking her off as he finally managed to rise. The look on the girl's face as she was left on the ground was one Zara had never seen in her before. Camellia looked hurt, the usual emptiness in her eyes slowly masking over her true feelings again as she stood, brushing the dirt from her leggings before moving to follow the rest of the group.

Zarabeth's wandering thoughts were pulled back to the present as she was roughly shoved into the bottom of the pirate longboat, her hands burning at the coarse impact of wood on her palms. The girl hardly had time to let her head clear before hands, tentacles, and claws pulled her upright, restraining her in the front of the craft with her arms pinned securely behind her as she squirmed beneath their rough hold.

Frantically looking about, her searching eyes stopped upon finding Jim with two pirates at the opposite end of the longboat, Zara unconsciously jolting forward when one of them gave the boy's injured leg a firm kick, Jim's pained gasp drowned out by the alien's hideous snickering.

"Hey! Leave him alone!"

"Miss Hartfit."

The hand suddenly tangled in the girl's thick hair gave it a sharp jerk, Zarabeth's head forced upright to look into the glowing amethyst eyes of Damian only inches from her face.

"I think I'd shut up, if I were you. Keep in mind that none of your little 'heroic gestures' are gonna do a thing but hurt you and lover-boy over there. Got me? Now quit it!"

Trying to keep her breathing even and calm, Zarabeth's eyes never left Jim's from the moment the longboat had taken off to when it'd finally been moored beside the pirate ship.

It was hard not to let fear completely numb her mind, the knowledge of what awaited their return plaguing nearly every one of her thoughts.

The only things to keep Zarabeth grounded were those eyes, that crystal gaze not even turning from her once. Though filled with pain and anger, an overshadowing look of comfort and, even more than that, of love told Zara's mind to take courage. Everything would be ok.

Don't let her see you tremble. She can't know how afraid you really are. Jim promised himself, all those years ago aboard the Legacy, that he'd protect Zarabeth, no matter the cost. He'd fought for her before, he'd do it again, but not at the risk of it only further endangering her life. What was he supposed to do? How could he possibly hope to protect her now? From where he sat, there wasn't even the smallest glimpse of hope saying that they'd come out of this alive.

No, he couldn't think like that. He had to be strong for her. If he could pretend to be unafraid, Jim knew that Zara would take courage in that. She could find hope where there might not be any, but it would be enough to save their minds for a little while. Maybe that was all they'd need.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15:

"Would you quit squirming already? The kid'll be fine!"

"Where are you taking him?" Zarabeth was unashamed to let her voice ring across the deck of the pirate ship, her eyes glowing with anger and determination as she struggled against the hands which tried to pull her back to the brig, Jim's captors leading him unwillingly in the other direction towards the helm. The distance between the two, mere feet before, now grew rapidly with each moment, panic flooding the girl's mind. "Jim! Jim!"

"Zara, it's ok! We're gonna be ok!"

Each breath an effort, the girl bit down hard on her lower lip as she ground her heels to the wooden deck, the friction slowing the alien man dragging Zara behind him. "No! You can't do this!"

"Oh for the love of rum, just shut up! You're cute when you're angry, but it's not gonna get you anywhere, sweetheart. Now come on!"

Her heart pounding in her throat, Zarabeth's words of warning escaped through clenched teeth as she ground her foot even more firmly to the deck.

"Then I'm about to get even cuter."

Ignoring the pain which burned in her wrists, Zara gave a final tug at the hands restraining her to bring the man to a full stop, kicking the pirate as hard as she could square between his legs.

The man's pained cry rang over the deck as he dropped to his knees, releasing his hold on the girl with more than a few mumbled curses.

With most of the pirates busily working to get the ship moving again, only a few were able to act instantly at the sound of their fallen comrade.

"Jim!" Her feet pounding against the wooden deck beneath her, Zara could only hear her own breathing loud in her ears as she dodged barrels and piles of rigging. Running as fast as she could toward Jim and the pirates who held him, Zarabeth didn't even know what she was doing or planned to do. There was no way for either of them to escape, but she was too angry to look at her current intentions. She just had to get to Jim.

"Oh no you don't. Come 'ere, love."

Now only a few yards from Jim, Zara gave a small cry of alarm as one of the pirates leaped down from the shrouds to land right in front of her, the girl having no time to stop before she was already trapped in his arms.

"Hey fellas, look! Caught me a real beauty!"

"Hey!" Ignoring his own predicament, Jim struggled with renewed life against his captors as he fought to get to the girl.

With hardly any room to breathe in the man's vice-like grip, Zara was using every ounce of strength she had to push away from his chest, her hair flying wildly about her face as she threw her head from side to side. "Let go of me! Let go!"

"Suit yourself. Hey, Jensen! Catch!"

Zarabeth was hardly shoved from the man's hold before being caught in the hands of one of the pirates who had been restraining Jim, the feline man snickering over the girl as he gripped her left arm. His clawed hands dug into the skin of Zara's upper arm as he tried to pull her close, the stench of alcohol washing over the girl with each word hissed down at her.

"Been a long time since I've held a woman. You wouldn't be my first pick, but, hey, I can't compl-ah!"

Not waiting for him to finish, Zara's desperation forced her to action, letting her bent right elbow crash across the man's angular face with as much force as she could muster.

His reaction mixed between surprise and rage, the man swung himself about as if to avoid further injury, flinging Zara in front of him as his grip was released from her arm.

With hardly any time to make a sound, Zarabeth's body screamed at her in dull pain as she landed hard on her right side, her back to the feline man and the few pirates watching her in obvious amusement. Releasing a low groan, the girl propped herself up on one elbow, her head cradled in her free hand as she waited for the dizzying sensations plaguing it to pass.

Everything sounded distant and muffled, the taunting and laughter of the crew, Jim's angry voice, the only thing clear to Zara's ears was the heavy tread of boots coming closer to where she lay. Her breathing shallow and labored, it was suddenly caught in her throat upon looking up at the man looming over her.

The feline pirate gave a low hiss as he wiped his hand across his face, the fury in his yellow eyes only darkening as he realized that his nose was bleeding. "Impudent little slave! I'll teach you to hit me, you filthy wench!"

The sharp breath Zara took in was choked out of her by the hand which wrapped itself about her throat, the girl clinging to the man's arm as he roughly pulled her to sit upright. His hand was like iron. Nothing Zarabeth could do was going to free her from his suffocating grip. She could only watch as the feline man brought his free hand up, about to hit her, the girl firmly shutting her eyes as she waited for the impact she knew would come.

Nothing happened.

The deck suddenly grew silent except for the low hiss of the man above her and the commanding tone of a voice Zara somehow recognized.

"Mr. Jensen. What do you think you're doing?"

Daring to open her eyes, Zara felt her body go limp in relief at the sight above her. The feline's raised hand was trapped in the grip of the second mate, the one who had come to see her the night before.

"Don't give me that look. Release her!"

Weak and trembling, Zarabeth collapsed to the deck the moment she was free, hand cradling her throat as she coughed, fighting for a good breath.

"Zara!"

The girl instinctively shrunk back at the hands which tried to hold her, only giving in as she looked up in relief. "Oh Jim."

Surrounded in his arms, Zara knew this moment wouldn't last, taking in each beat of the boy's racing heart beside her ear, trying hard to remember the touch of his hands as he held her close, not knowing which second would see them separated once more.

She couldn't think. She couldn't get a hold on her own mind. Why was this happening to them? Why did it have to? She just wanted to be home. She just wanted things to go back to the way they were.

"You! Skin changer! You and Harper take the kid to get him patched up. Bring him to the Captain's room when you're done. Oh no you're not. I'm taking her back down to the brig myself until then. You've caused enough trouble for one day. Now move!"

Fear was the only emotion gripping Zarabeth's heart, her chest tightening painfully with each command yelled from behind her as she waited for what she knew was about to ensue.

"Come on Jimmy, say g'bye to your sweetheart."

Damian's tone dripped with malice as Zara clung all the tighter to the boy holding her, unwilling to let go even when she could feel him slipping from her grasp. "No! Stop! You can't-no!" Strong hands latched about her arms, forcing Zarabeth to stumble to her feet, the control over her emotions slipping away with the hand leaving hers. "Jim! Jim!"

More dragged by the men than anything, Jim's face was flushed with anger and pain as he fought to stay off of his injured leg, the boy doing all he could to lessen the look of helplessness calling toward him in Zarabeth's eyes. "Honey, it's ok. I'll see you soon, alright? We're gonna be ok."

"Oh for crying out loud, Hawkins. Give it a rest, will ya?" Nothing but irritation radiating from his amethyst gaze, Damian gave an overly annoyed groan before opening one of the doors leading to what Zara could only assume was the infirmary.

"H-Hawkins?"

The voice of the second mate beside Zarabeth forced her attention to be drawn upward, the man's tone almost fearful as he froze in place, his grip tightening ever so slightly on her arms. The look of astonishment dawning over the man's face puzzled Zara, the girl unsure of what to make of it when his lip began to tremble.

"Jim...Hawkins?"

This man. Something about him suddenly seemed more than familiar. That look. She'd seen it in someone else. A thought, unbelievable...yet within reality, suddenly struck the girl, the possibility of it making her knees weak as it was all at once confirmed by the second mate's final word.

"Son."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16:

Zarabeth's head was swimming, her incoherent thoughts overwhelming her one after another as she was dragged down the stairs into the brig.

"This...no...it can't-"

The girl could barely make out the mumbling of the second mate beside her as he pulled her to the cell closest to the stairs, obviously not caring whether or not he put her back in chains as he slammed the heavy metal door behind her. Zara stood still in the middle of the small cell for she knew not how long, only turning back around to face the rest of the brig when she realized that the man was still there.

That man. He was Jim's father.

A tidal wave of feelings, each fighting for dominance in her mind, came crashing down over her already fragile emotions. The deep-set anger she felt on behalf of Jim and Sarah, the fear of wondering how Jim would react, the worry over what would happen now, it all surfaced in a single emotion, somehow calm, collected, and resolute. Zara just felt hurt.

The man was leaning against the iron bars separating him from the girl, head cupped in his hands as he mumbled this and that to himself, almost as if forgetting that Zarabeth was even there. "This...it-it couldn't. He...Why him?"

Hoping that her lip would be the only thing to continue trembling, Zara's voice sounded as low and steadfast as she'd wanted it to be, the single question ringing through her mind escaping in audible words barely above a whisper. "How could you do it?"

She hoped he'd understood what she was asking. Seeing Jim for the first time in a decade was surely reopening old wounds in this man's heart. How could he have left them? How could he not send even a word back to them for all of these years? He'd left them flat, without warning or even a clue as to where he was headed.

Standing right in front of her eyes was the last man she had ever expected to meet, and frankly, Zara would have been fine without it. But there he was, and now, she wanted answers.

Raising his head from where it had been hidden, the man's face was riddled with emotions Zarabeth couldn't read, their appearance like that of anger and sadness, but deeper. Anguish?

His voice was quiet and low, the solidness of each word slowly replacing bits of healthy fear back in Zara's mind.

"Don't you lecture me, lass. You'll never understand."

Swallowing hard, the girl knew that she wasn't about to be deterred by the threatening undertone in his reply, no matter how afraid she might become, she needed to know. "I understand. I understand that what you did to Jim and Sarah was purely for you, selfish, cowardly."

"You have no right!"

Zara could only flinch at the sound of the man's angry voice, the outburst punctuated by his fist as it crashed into the wall of bars between them.

"No right."

"I have every right!" Daring to take a step closer, Zarabeth could feel herself growing more and more fearless with each word. "That is my right. They are my family."

"They were my family long before you ever came along, sweetheart."

"Fine way to look after them, then."

"I did what I had to!"

"Did you? Was it for them?" The air was almost tangibly growing warmer with the tempers flaring from each side of the barred wall, Zara's voice finally lowering so that only the man would be able to hear her. "Or was it for you?"

Zarabeth could feel the fire in his eyes burning right through her before he suddenly turned his face away without a reply.

Closing the distance between them, only inches separated the two before Zarabeth released her final accusation, low and definite. "You abandoned them."

His eyes returning to Zara's, the man's jaw tightened, his words escaping through clenched teeth as he shook his head at her. "Don't temp my patience, girl. I didn't want to, but I could still clap you back in irons here and now. Or don't you remember where you are? You're at my mercy. Mine!"

For a moment, Zara had nothing to say, her eyes cast down as the man's temper settled itself, only a low chuckle escaping him now.

"Good. Maybe that'll shut you up long enough to let me breathe. I'll be back. You just cool off now, sweetheart."

The sound of the man's heavy footsteps headed back toward the stairs brought Zarabeth's mind back to itself, the girl hurriedly placing her face between the bars in the hopes that she'd catch him before he'd left. "What about Jim?"

Stopped mid-step, the man gave a low grunt before answering in as cold a voice as he could, not even turning to face the girl as he made his curt reply. "What about him?"

"When he realizes who you are..." Zara didn't know how to finish, but she could tell by the way the man's shoulders stiffened that he understood.

Silence was the loudest sound in the brig for the next few moments, the second mate still facing the stairs when he finally made his answer. "I think you worry too much about him."

"I love Jim."

Those eyes which finally turned to meet hers looked so heavy, so confused, but Zara knew that his anger could return as quickly as it had been snuffed out.

"Worrying about him is just part of my job."

For the first time, Zarabeth noticed that the man's demeanor had softened, his look far off as if reminiscing over past things. "Well...he's obviously done just fine without me. Naval captain, right?"

This was her chance. Zara had accused and reprimanded him, but it suddenly struck her that Jim's father might be their only hope to survive another day. If she could rekindle that attachment, help him remember that Jim was, first and foremost, his son, his only son, maybe they could be safe a little longer. "Finished school just this year."

"So, he's got a ship, crew, everything?"

"Not yet. Jim only graduated a few weeks ago. But he will."

The man shook his head, a hint of a smile growing at the corner of his lips as he slowly came back toward the cell, step by step. "Who would've thought? That's...That's what I wanted to do when I was young. I'm sorta there, I guess. I just always knew that the open Etherium was where I belonged. I was gonna go, to the Academy, but I got...sidetracked."

Zara stayed still and quiet, afraid that she'd break the trance over the man's mind if she even moved.

"I married Sarah when I was only eighteen. She was sixteen. I was gonna work until she finished school, then the plan was for both of us to move to Kalepsia while I studied at the Academy, but that all changed real fast. After we got married, Sarah was pregnant before anyone could look twice."

Zara couldn't help but smile on the inside as she watched the man pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration. He looked just like Jim.

"I-I wasn't ready. Land's sake, she wasn't ready! She wasn't even seventeen when Jim was born. I...I didn't know what to do. We were stuck on Montressor."

The hurt Zara had felt before gradually returned as Jim's father continued, the man drawing a hand over his eyes as he released a heavy breath to urge himself forward once more.

"I was fine for a few years. Sarah loved our home, so she was good being where she was, but me...I felt so suffocated. The same thing, day in and day out, I was going insane. I don't rightly remember most of what happened before I left, I guess that's what a good couple of pints'll do for ya, but I knew I had to get away. I needed to be free."

"Free?" Zarabeth could hardly believe the words coming out of his mouth, each one more hateful to her ears than the one preceding it. "Free of your wife? Your son? Free of the people who loved you?"

"I-I made a mistake...marrying her. We were young and stupid. I shouldn't have done it."

Zara just wanted to understand, that's all she wanted. "Did you love her?"

"Y-Yeah. I did. But...love is just an empty word when you don't really want to feel it anymore. The more you love, the more you hurt. I couldn't afford to really love her any longer."

"Did you love Jim?"

It was hard for Zarabeth to stay calm and quiet as she watched the man's face cloud over with confusion, his eyes radiating one emotion one second, but changing entirely the next.

"He was...I mean...Well, he's my son. But for years before I left, he was nothing but a reminder that I didn't have a future. I was stuck where I was because of him."

Everything Zara had built up in her mind about Jim's father, every horrible and painful memory she'd hidden away from the things she'd been told, none of it compared to what she was hearing now.

"So you just took off and left them?"

"Look, it doesn't matter anymore." His previous anger was gradually returning, the look in his eyes hardening with each word as he glared at the girl in front of him. He wasn't about to take criticism from anyone, especially this girl. "They've obviously been fine without me. Jim certainly didn't need me."

It was taking everything in Zarabeth not to completely lose it with him, the girl deeply inhaling and exhaling a few times before trusting her voice to be even and low. "Jim may not have needed you, but he wanted you. Why else do you think he ran after you then? Is that kind of love just an empty word?"

The look on the man's face could only be described as one emotion; stunned. "He-He what?"

"You..." Was he being honest? "You didn't see him?"

When the man made no move to reply, Zara could feel her chest tighten painfully, her lip trembling with her breaking heart as she slowly continued.

"That morning when you left them...Jim tried to stop you, but he was too late to reach you. You-You're all he ever wanted. Jim just wanted to make you proud. He wanted you to notice him, to love him, but..." Every painful memory Zarabeth had seen in Jim's eyes was overwhelming her mind with hurt, her hold on her emotions slipping as she wrapped herself in her trembling arms. "Even before you left, you were never there. What was he supposed to think when you abandoned him? Was he supposed to be proud of his father for leaving his family behind to chase after-after he didn't know what?"

Her own words pulling her towards tears, Zara slowly shook her head as she took in a shaking breath. "He wasn't fine. Sarah wasn't fine. You left them...broken and confused, wondering...wondering what they did wrong. But it was you. It was all you."

"That's enough."

Ignoring the anger hinting in his tone, Zarabeth's eyes looked, but didn't see. Her mind was too numb to care. "You didn't care about them. How could you have? You were too busy sulking and worrying about yourself to notice your wife or your son."

"I'm warning you-"

"Jim is up there right now! You can't ignore him anymore! Your son is up there in the hands of murderous pirates, and you're one of them!"

"I said enough!"

"S-Sir?"

The two's attentions were suddenly pulled toward the stairs, one of the alien men Zarabeth had seen before nervously waiting to be noticed.

"What?"

"Um, the Captain wants you, you and her."

Releasing an aggravated breath, the second mate turned away from the stairs, a hand searching blindly for the ring of keys hanging on the wall beside him. "Right. On my way."

Left alone with him once more, Zara dared to meet the man's eyes, her own cold and accusing, her mind still reeling in hurt for Jim's sake.

"Don't you give me that look. If I'm gonna be your father-in-law, I need a little respect from you, little lady. Come on. Let's get this over with."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17:

If not for the strong grip of the second mate's hand pulling her alongside him, Zarabeth knew that her feet would have given out beneath her as she was led out of the brig toward the helm of the ship. Her heart was pounding too hard, her mind racing with its relentless beating as she realized how close she was to witnessing Jim reunite with his father for the first time in over ten years.

What could she possibly prepare herself for? Whatever Zara imagined, she knew that Jim was going to take it with anything but patience or understanding. How could he? This man holding fast to her trembling arm had neglected, abused, and abandoned his family, his cowardice pushing him to leave Jim and his mother without a word of warning or even a second glance back.

"Baby girl! There you are! I was beginning to think I'd have to go in there without you. These tedious meetings are better with a little distraction."

"Shut up Corbett."

Zara's thoughts immediately returned to the present at the sound of Jim's angry voice reprimanding Damian, her eyes immediately meeting his in a moment of shared relief.

About to speak, Zarabeth's words were left trapped in her mind at the feeling of the second mate's grip tightening drastically on her arm, the dull pain bringing her attention to meet his as his eyes radiated the threatening tone in his hushed words.

"You so much as utter my name, and I'll make sure you wish you hadn't. You'll let him figure it out on his own if you know what's good for ya."

Unable to do anything but comply, Zara silently nodded on instinct, the pressure of the man's hand lessening as she did. The first part of his threat didn't matter anyway. She didn't even know his name. Jim had never said it and Sarah only ever faintly alluded to those years in vague bits and pieces of memories. She knew better than to ask.

From the deck above them, the first mate emerged from a door Zarabeth could only assume was the Captain's quarters or stateroom, the scaly man folding his arms impatiently over his chest as he glared down at the knot of people below. "Well are you ready or aren't you? The Captain won't wait all day!"

"Move it lover-boy."

Trying hard to read Jim's expression, Zara could see that he was angry, but pain wasn't something she could really pick out, relief spreading through the girl's mind at that hope.

The room that the group was led into was spacious and bright, a stateroom much like that of Amelia's back on the Legacy. Camellia and Logan were already inside, the two joined now by the first and second mates, Jim, Zarabeth, and Damian to finish the newcomers. There wasn't anyone there whom Zara didn't recognize, realizing that the door behind the large desk must lead directly into the Captain's quarters, the person in question obviously not present.

The wandering of Zarabeth's mind was brought back into focus at the firm tone in the voice of the second mate as he pulled harder on her arm, forcing her into the corner of the room beside him.

"Come on, lass. Don't make me do everything."

Standing alongside Jim's father, Zara did her best to keep her breathing even and calm, no sense in letting any of these pirates see how afraid she really was.

Daring to turn her head, the girl was immediately caught by Jim's unwavering gaze. How long had he been looking at her?

A hint of a smile unconsciously graced Zarabeth's lips as she tried to let Jim know that she was alright, her heart suddenly pounding wildly in her chest as she remembered who the man standing beside her was. Jim needed to know.

The girl's attention was all at once turned back toward the front of the room as the sound of someone opening the door became distinguishable. The light wooden door opened up on silent hinges to reveal the person hiding behind its frame, the unexpected sight leaving Zara's mind reeling in surprise.

A woman, tall and slender with golden hair in a long braid falling down her back, emerged from her quarters, her voice low and brassy to match her attitude as she stood for a moment to observe the group in front of her. "Glad to see you didn't start without me. Gentlemen." Her dark eyes wandered from person to person until they fell upon Zarabeth, the alien woman raising a brow along with the corner of her lips as she finished her address. "Girl."

It wasn't the fact that the captain was a woman which left Zara speechless. It was her alien appearance.

She looked like Nathaniel Flint.

The high and deep-set cheek bones, the tripled set of dark eyes, this woman's fangs were the only things missing, or so Zara thought before the pair of razor-sharp teeth revealed themselves from beneath her defined lips, their presence almost more menacing by being hidden.

Not bothering to sit in the chair at her desk, the pirate captain simply walked to one side of the table, hoisting herself to rest atop a part of the polished surface which was free of clutter. "Welcome aboard 'The Vengeance'. I am your generous hostess and captain, Evanna Flint. Yes, I mean that Flint. He made quite the grandpa, I'll tell ya that."

She...was Flint's granddaughter? All of the facts suddenly divulged in an unceremonious sort of way were jumbled in Zara's mind as she fought to sort them out. Flint's Legacy, it was left for her now.

"You, Hawkins' girlfriend, I do apologize that we haven't met sooner, but you know how it is, lots to do, no time for girly chit-chat. As for you, James Hawkins, glad you could join us, even if it hasn't been very willingly. How's the leg?"

Jim's expression easily voiced the annoyance he was feeling toward Evanna, her attitude slowly wearing away at his temper. "Fine. No thanks to any of you."

"Ooh, is that bitterness I detect? Let me remind you, boy, you wouldn't be feeling half as good if it wasn't in my best interest to keep you healthy."

"If it weren't for your trigger-happy pirates, I wouldn't need it."

"If it weren't for 'my pirates', you and your little fiance over there would still be running loose on the surface. There isn't an outpost within a parsec of here that isn't pirate run. You both would've been captured, killed, or worse long before we could ever catch you. Now you see, you should be thanking me, Mr. Hawkins."

Seeing that Jim wasn't about to answer her, Evanna slowly rose from where she sat, the heels of her boots clicking sharply against the wooden floor as she approached Zarabeth. Arms folded over her chest, she didn't stop until she and Zara were only feet from each other. "Hmmm."

It was taking everything in Zara not to squirm under the pirate captain's piercing gaze, unable to shake the feeling that she was sizing her up.

Evanna's look was almost menacing as she let her finger play distractedly with the side of one of her fangs, her tone matter-of-fact as her wandering eyes finally met the girl's icy glare. "Pretty enough. Good build. You could probably work hard enough to be useful under any kind of master. How much did you pay for her, Hawkins?"

"I didn't buy her."

"I'm not a slave."

The immediate responses of both Jim and Zara did nothing but amuse the alien woman as she refolded her arms in front of her.

"Wow. So defensive. I like it. Means I've stumbled onto something good."

The all too familiar feeling of pained anger gradually began to burn its way deeper into Zarabeth's emotions, her words still calm and low as she kept her eyes trained on Evanna. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh don't I? How about this, then?" Evanna's eyes seemed to only brighten as her smirk became more menacing, the alien woman slowly pacing down the whole length of the group as she continued, each word deliberate and biting. "Zarabeth Hartfit. You were born into the service of the Smollett family through the negligence and stupidity of your enslaved parents. After your master died, you were given to and worked for his only daughter Captain Amelia until she married that astronomer guy...Doppler. They supposedly freed you the day they tied the knot, so you've been running around doing Etherium-knows-what ever since. How am doing so far?"

"W-What do you mean supposedly? I've been free for four years. Who are you to say that I'm not?"

Evanna paused her pacing in front of the girl, her look softening into that of an emotion only readable as pity, whether it was mock or genuine, the woman's tone confirmed strangely that it was the latter. "Listen. Every person, every being has its proper place in the universe. Sometimes we choose that place, other times, it's chosen for us. Look at me, for example. My grandfather was the greatest pirate captain ever to sail the Etherium, but even he had a little bit of a heart. Well, a girl and a son later, my mom was able to have me with Flint's kid, my dad. There's not much you can do to change the way people see you when your family is the forbiddingly sired line of pirates descended from the most notorious one of them all. Kinda hard to make friends after you've honestly introduced yourself. So, long story short, what else is there for me to do than to follow in my dad and grandad's steps? My place was chosen for me, but I've accepted it, and hey, have you seen this ship? I think I'm doing alright. I just don't fight it anymore."

"What could this ever have to do with me?" It wasn't that the woman's story wasn't interesting or whatever, but Zara was in no mood for useless words.

"Let me ask you something." Her pitying look gone, Evanna's previous demeanor returned in an instant. "Did you become a slave because you were kidnapped and bought by the Smolletts?"

Zarabeth could feel her mind begin to close in on itself as she fought to appear calm. "No."

"No. That was your parents, right? You, my dear, are different. You're a product of slavery. You weren't just pulled into it, you were born with it. It's who you are. Legally, I suppose you're seen as 'freed', but it takes a lot more than a torn piece of paper to change who you really are."

No matter how hard she tried to fight it, Zara knew her lip was trembling with her shallow breathing, each word biting deeper into her mind than the last.

"Don't listen to her, Zara!" Jim couldn't take it anymore, the lies Evanna was feeding the girl obviously taking hold of her. "It's not true! None of it is. She's just trying to get inside your head. Zarabeth, look at me."

Instinctively trying to turn her head toward the boy, Zara took in a sharp breath as her chin was roughly pulled the other way, her gaze forced to meet Evanna's as the alien woman rolled her eyes, all six of them.

"Mr. Corbett. Kindly shut him up, would you?"

"Aye, Captain."

Within moments, Jim's pained voice as it let out a sharp groan was followed by the sound of something heavy hitting the floor.

"Jim!" Jerking her head from the pirate captain's hand, Zarabeth's first instinct was to rush to the boy's side as she caught sight of him cringing on his knees, Jim's arms still trapped in the first mate's hold as they kept him upright. The girl flinched at the tightening grip of the hand around her upper arm as she tried without success to pull away, her eyes darting between Jim and his father beside her as Evanna's next words set her heart's racing anew.

"Mmm, one more time for good measure."

The skin changer chuckled quietly as he shook his hand out in front of him before curling it back into a fist, obviously more than happy to obey.

"Damian, no! Leave him alone!"

Unwilling to stand by and watch, Zara's desperation led her to do the only thing she could think of. Instead of trying to pull away, the girl shoved all her weight backwards against the second mate. The unexpected action forced the two a few feet into the corner of the room where Jim's father was promptly rammed up against a map cabinet, a sharp curse escaping him as his back hit the wood with a solid 'thud'. The surprise having the effect she was hoping for, Zarabeth jolted forward the moment she felt the man's grip let up, not wasting any time as she latched herself around Damian's raised arm. "Stop!"

"Hey!" The energy the skin changer had meant to use against Jim was now being redirected toward freeing himself of Zara. "Get off of me!" His patience for her fading in an instant, Damian put as much force as he could into throwing his arm out beside him, the weight of the girl suddenly gone as she lost her grip.

There was no time for Zarabeth to make a sound before she felt the wall stop her backward motion, her vision flickering for a moment as pain radiated through her shoulders at the impact, unaware of what had happened until she found herself lying on the floor on her side.

The room around Zara seemed to spin as she managed to open her eyes, the image of two leather boots suddenly coming into focus in front of her.

With one swift motion, all the air was robbed from Zarabeth's lungs, her sides screaming in pain as the impact of Damian's kick caught her harder than she'd ever thought possible.

Each attempt to breathe only came forth as small gasps, the quick flows of air seeming to disappear before even reaching her lungs as they continued to beg for air. It felt like she was broken in half, Zara's arms instinctively curled about her pulsing sides only worsening the searing pain as she fought for control over her panicked senses. She just had to wait it out, she had to try to relax. The pain couldn't last forever.

After what felt like an eternity, Zarabeth could breathe again, each effort for air racking her with renewed burning, but it couldn't be helped any longer. The noises filling the room, muffled before, now began to clear, the sound of Evanna's annoyed voice more distinguishable to the girl's ears than any other.

"Love. Pointless, irrational, demeaning. It makes you so...so vulnerable. It's almost entertaining, though. You two are just so desperate to fight when you've already lost. You think you're being heroic, trying to stand up for each other? Quit it. You're just gonna keep getting hurt." After a moment of silence, the mocking tone in the woman's voice was replaced by a more authoritative one. "Get him up."

Obviously fighting back the urge to cry out, Jim was roughly pulled back to his feet, only a small grunt escaping him as he tried to keep his weight off of his injured leg.

"Alright, Hawkins. Let's wrap this up, shall we? Cooperate with me and you and your sweetheart can finally go back to the peace and quiet of your cells. Now, hand over the key."

Gritting her teeth, it was taking everything in Zarabeth to ignore the screaming in her body as she propped herself up on one elbow, her other arm tenderly cradling her aching sides. Looking up, she was just in time to see the first mate release Jim's arms, the boy's gaze never leaving Evanna's as he reached into his pant pocket to retrieve what he'd been told to bring. Lying in the palm of his hand was the chunk of metal Silver had given to Jim and Zarabeth those short years ago, the sight alone making the girl sick when she thought about how much trouble that thing had caused in the last week.

It was impossible to miss the way the pirate captain's demeanor brightened, the woman unable to keep from smiling as she reached out to take the metal from the boy's hand, her own shaking slightly as she did. About to say something, Evanna's thoughts were interrupted by Jim, his voice low and commanding, almost too confident considering the situation that he was in.

"You got what you wanted, now let us go. Just a longboat will be sufficient for the two of us. If you leave now, the authorities we'll send back will be too late to catch up, but that's my only offer of a truce."

Taking a moment to gauge whether the boy was truly serious, Evanna released a drawn out chuckle as she slowly shook her head, the braid of golden hair at her back swaying idly as she spoke. "I'm impressed, Hawkins. No, I really am. Here you are, injured, outnumbered, and completely at my mercy, yet you still have the gall to demand something of me. That says something. You're determined...stupid, but determined. That's the kind of thing that gets my attention. Sure you don't wanna work for me instead of those stuffy naval buffoons?"

His voice still as calm as before, Jim answered her without missing a beat. "Yeah, pretty sure."

"Too bad." Turning her back to them, Evanna made her way back to her desk, pulling open one of its drawers before extracting a piece of metal identical to the one Jim had just given over to her. "But let me make something very clear, Mr. Hawkins. I'm not done with you. Not yet. You and that imp of a girl are gonna help me catch a cyborg first."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18:

Since the night before when she'd been told that the pirates were searching for Flint's Legacy, Zarabeth had hoped that they wouldn't know who had the third metal piece. They did.

Evanna was looking for Silver.

Any fear Zara had felt before this moment seemed barely a fright compared to what she now felt, her trembling heart desperate to make the rest of her follow as her mind reeled and churned on itself.

She and Jim were going to be used against Silver.

The pirates just needed someone to tell them how to reach the cyborg. Zara knew Silver would come running at any news of her or Jim in any danger, the trap perfectly laid for the pirates to do whatever they pleased with him after he was caught.

Jim's voice shook unmistakably, his attempt at seeming ignorant too hesitated to be believed. "A cyborg?"

Obviously amused by the boy's poor acting, Evanna let the emotion show in her eyes as she leaned against the edge of her desk, setting the chunk of metal Jim had surrendered to her beside the one she already possessed. "Oh come now. Surely you could have done better than that. But, it doesn't matter anyway, I know the two of you have been in close contact with a one, Long John Silver."

"Why would you think that?"

"Let's just say that I enjoy doing business with what you law-abiding people call 'bounty hunters'. The last crew I worked with had been tracking that fat, old cyborg for years before finally catching a break on Montressor. They ran into problems though when a certain young lady managed to knock their captain off-side the head with a...frying pan, wasn't it, Zarabeth?"

The woman's words catching her completely off guard, Zara could only continue staring at Evanna for a few moments before answering with a simple, "Y-Yeah."

Two years ago, when she and Jim had brought a dying Silver back to Montressor, two bounty hunters came snooping around the inn looking for him. With a little help and some creativity, Zara had knocked the captain out, his ship and crew leaving their leader behind to rot in a Montression prison somewhere. Never had Zarabeth ever suspected that the men had been working for pirates.

Scratching distractedly at the side of her chin, Evanna's tone was a little more than annoyed as she continued her explanation. "Needless to say, I wasn't very happy when the captain-less crew came back to me empty handed, but at least I knew I had a way of finding Silver once we'd given him some time to feel 'safe' again. I just needed some fresh hands for the job. Mr. Corbett here was more than desirable to fill the position, considering he already knew who you two were when I explained the situation. Small universe, isn't it?"

Still standing on his own, Jim dare to ask the question he knew he wouldn't like the answer to, but had to know. "Threatening either of us is no good if you don't know where Silver is, and we certainly don't. So how do you think you're gonna get a hold of him?"

Her lips twisting into a simple smirk, the alien woman let silence permeate the room for a few seconds before making her reply. "You're getting better, but you're still not quite the liar I'd expected of a delinquent."

Her choice of words only fazing Jim for a moment, the boy decided it was better to not answer, his jaw clenched slightly as he suppressed the natural urge to spit fire right back at her.

Evanna waited for a heated reply, but simply shrugged when it did not come, her tone cold and commanding as her gaze hardened against Jim's. "I would be in a bit of a tight spot if you didn't know of Silver's whereabouts, but luckily for you both, I know you do. As I've tracked it, your last letter from our dear John Silver was almost two weeks ago. I doubt he's gone anywhere since. He's too old to be needlessly moving about. But of all the things I've been able to find out, where you two send your letters back has always alluded me. It doesn't matter though. I intend to find out right now."

Their eyes meeting in the same instant, Zarabeth could see nothing but fear in Jim's gaze, both minds plagued with the same terrible thoughts.

Time seemed to stop in that moment, the words her mind was so desperate to utter left trapped in her throat as her arm was roughly seized, the feeling shattered as quickly as it had begun. Pain burned and pulsed through Zara's sides with each forced movement, the girl unable to stifle a small cry as she was pulled up onto her knees. If not for the hands of Jim's father secured around her arms from behind her, Zarabeth knew that she wouldn't be sitting upright, she didn't have the strength or the will to be so. The tangles of her hair fell like two walls on either side of Zara's face as she let her head hang forward, unwilling to look up at the woman she knew was now standing right in front of her. It was impossible for Zara to miss the venomous tone in Evanna's voice as it slowly drew closer to her downcast head, the girl fighting every natural instinct to simply look up.

She couldn't let the pirate see how truly afraid she was.

"You, my dear, have been nothing but trouble since you were first put on my ship. I've heard things about you, whether they're just fish stories or the real deal, you've proven to me that you're different. You're feisty and stubborn, but that's very annoying when all I need for you to be is cooperative."

Trying hard to put her fears aside, Zarabeth let her emotions harden. If they wanted Silver, they weren't gonna have him without a fight.

A shiver ran through Zara's core as a gentle hand ran alongside her cheek, its touch working its way upward until it curled itself into a fistful of her hair, Evanna's hand suddenly pulling it back with a swift jerk to force the girl's head upward. It was impossible to ignore those eyes glaring down at her, the menace radiating from their stare only accented further by the ice in the pirate's simple question.

"Where is he?"

Silence.

Zarabeth didn't say a word, her eyes never leaving Evanna's as she fought to keep her breathing somewhat deep and even. The girl gave a startled gasp as her head was suddenly pulled back even further, her control easily regained even before the woman spoke again.

"Where is Silver?"

No response.

Releasing the girl's hair with an aggravated grunt, Evanna's attention was redirected towards Jim standing a few feet to her other side. Slowly pacing about the boy, the alien woman was constantly shifting her gaze between Jim and Zara, waiting for a reaction as she listed off her guesses.

"Santori? One of the Proteun planets? Tresslar? Pandaros?"

Just breathe. Just keep breathing. Think of Silver. He has to stay safe.

Eyes firmly trained on the floor beneath her, Zarabeth wasn't really listening to anything Evanna was saying, not willing to give herself the chance of revealing even the slightest hint about where Silver was hiding.

After a few minutes of tense silence, the girl dared to raise her eyes, her gaze immediately caught in Jim's. Those crystal eyes which always seemed to shine with their own pure light looked so dull in that moment, Zara unsure of what to read from them except fear and frustration.

He had tried so hard to stay strong for her, but they were fighting a losing battle, and he knew it. What was he supposed to do? If they threatened him, Zara would be forced to tell them where Silver was. If she was threatened, Jim knew he wouldn't be able to take much before he'd willingly tell them everything they wanted to know. There was no way around it. The pirates were going to catch Silver.

After what felt like much more than those few minutes, Evanna's brassy tone shattered the silence with a single word, icy and deliberate. "Fine."

The sound of her boot heels clicking sharply against the floor turned Zarabeth's eyes toward the desk Evanna had returned to. The girl's stomach threatened to twist itself into incurable knots as the pirate extracted something from an open drawer, placing it unceremoniously atop the cluttered surface of the desktop without even so much as a word of explanation. It wasn't necessary. Lying atop the desk was the twisted metal of a double-edged dagger.

Evanna's look was almost empty, lifeless as she picked up the weapon, deftly brandishing it in the space between her and her captives as she gradually made her way closer to them, her steps finally leading her beside Zarabeth as she addressed the other. "You should be thankful, Hawkins, that you're not married to this trembling little wretch, here. You're too young and far too handsome to be a widower. So it's a good thing, right?"

Satisfied with the horrified look growing in the boy's eyes, Evanna nodded to her first mate before giving a curt command. "Keep him back."

Zara could only watch as Jim was pulled farther away from her, the boy desperately trying to ignore the pain in his leg as he struggled in the alien man's hold.

"Don't you touch her!"

She couldn't take it. The look of helpless anger and pleading despair clouding Jim's face was something Zara had never seen in him before, that she didn't want him to have to feel. Her mouth open to say something to him, to try to calm him as he had done for her, Zarabeth's words were left trapped in her throat as the flat of the dagger against her cheek kept her silent, the girl instinctively trying to inch away from its presence.

Evanna's voice dripped with malice as her simple words barely slipped out through clenched teeth, the dagger leaving the girl's face as it hovered beside her throat. "Watch me."

In an instant, Zara's mind was nothing but a blank, her mind too clouded over with pain to even make a sound as she felt the blade slowly and painfully drag through the skin from her collarbone to her right shoulder.

Time seemed obsolete in those agonizing moments. Zarabeth's vision flickered in and out of clarity with each individual layer of skin she could feel the dagger slice through, her every effort to simply breathe suddenly forgotten. She couldn't remember how.

With too graceful of a motion, Evanna pulled the bloodied blade away from Zarabeth, letting it rest casually in her hand as she looked from the girl beneath her, to the defeated looking boy across the room. "I'm sorry, Hawkins. Was there something you wanted to tell me?"

Biting her lip till she could taste blood, Zara waited helplessly for the pain to fade, even a little. Her chest and shoulder felt like they were on fire, the feeling of her own warm blood falling down over her only adding to the panic flooding her fragile senses. Evanna's words brought her back into what was left of the control she still had over her mind, Zarabeth's strained words broken between her own shallow breathing as she fought to be heard. "Ji-Jim, no. You can't. Silver. He-He has to stay safe. I'm not-"

The girl's words were left caught in her throat as the searing pain returned with newfound vengeance, the scream burning in Zara's lungs not even making a sound as she firmly shut her eyes, hoping the darkness would rid her of the overwhelming sensations paralyzing her mind.

This kind of pain. She'd been free of it for years, but memory after relentless memory was flooding back to her overwhelmed mind, memories she'd tried so hard to forget.

"Tick-tock, Hawkins." Her tone as threatening as the look in her eyes, Evanna watched with growing satisfaction as Jim struggled against the battle raging in his mind, the dagger in her steadfast hand only pushing more firmly inside the open wound in Zara's shoulder. She was going to get what she wanted.

"He-He..."

The cry she hadn't been able to manage before finally broke from Zarabeth's trembling lips as the blade dug its way deeper than it had ever been before.

"Tresslar!"

It was impossible to miss the despair in Jim's voice as he forced himself to speak, head turned away as he bit down on his lower lip, unwilling to meet the alien woman's gaze, the satisfied smirk he knew was crossing her lips making him feel sick to his core. "He-He's on Tresslar."

"Where?"

"At the outpost stationed with the first colony."

"There now." The pirate captain's voice took on a tone which could only be described as cheerful, the woman slowly removing the dagger from Zarabeth as she spoke. "Was that really so hard?" Then in a note more commanding, "Send word immediately to Tresslar. I can only assume that Mr. Silver has been parted from his dear little pets for too long. I think a reunion is in order, don't you?"

"Aye, Captain."

"And throw these vermin back in the brig. Oh, I don't care, just do what you think works. Be creative! And make sure the rest of the crew stays clear. I've had just about enough of their fooling around and gawking to last me a dozen other wench prisoners. You hear me? Now get! We've got us a cyborg to trap."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19:

She felt so strange. The wooden steps beneath her feet seemed to almost avoid her as she tried to keep walking forward. Her knees felt as if they'd give out at any moment, the steadfast hand of Jim's father on her arm the only thing to keep her moving.

Burning. Pulsing. Throbbing pain. Zarabeth could hardly think through all of the sensations radiating through her. Her mind fully concentrated on keeping her breathing even and calm, it was getting harder and harder to ignore the effort that every breath took, her sides screaming at her in dull pain with each attempt. Her hand clamped over her bleeding shoulder, Zara could only cringe as each jarring movement of her own body renewed the biting pain which never seemed to leave the place where Evanna's dagger had cut through her.

Zara's mind suddenly switched back to her surroundings as she took in a sharp breath, her foot completely missing one of the steps.

"Easy there, lass. Can't have you breaking a leg on top of it all." With the second mate's arm keeping the girl from tumbling forward, he couldn't help but notice how Zarabeth bit back a pained cry at his help. "Here, lass. You're in no state to be walking."

"I don't need your h-" Zara's gritted words were cut off with a gasp as she was suddenly hoisted up bridal-style by Jim's father, her sides throbbing beneath his arm as he carried her the rest of the way down to the brig.

Her mind clouded, it wasn't until Zarabeth felt herself being lowered to the floor that she realized she was already back in her cell, the second mate careful to let her down gently. Lying on her back, the girl instinctively shrunk back at the sound of the man's voice almost too loud in her ears, his words taking her a moment to sort out and understand.

"Don't you move, lass. I'm coming back."

The heavy tread of boots quickly faded as they made their way back out of the brig, silence the loudest sound surrounding Zara for what felt like an eternity.

Ears ringing. Sides aching. Chest burning. Zara's eyes flitted mindlessly from one board of the ceiling to another in quick succession, looking but not seeing as a single whispered name left her trembling lips over and over again. "Jim? Jim?"

Where was Jim? He was behind her when they'd been forced from the stateroom. He should be here now, shouldn't he? Evanna ordered them both back in the brig. Where was he?

"Jim?"

Her own voice sounded so foreign to her, grinding and broken.

"Jim?"

It was taking everything in Zarabeth not to complete let go of her frayed emotions. There had to be a reason, an answer for everything, but there was no one there to tell her. She knew she was getting too worked up. She was tired. She was hurting. She was scared. She knew she wasn't thinking clearly.

"Jim?"

But she couldn't stop calling for him. She needed to keep whispering his name into the empty bowels of the ship. Zara knew the silence would drive her more insane than her own strained pleading ever could.

"Jim?"

Feet. Hurried feet came crashing down the stairs to shatter the quiet, startling Zarabeth out of her trance-like state as she expectantly turned her head toward the barred door of her cell. She couldn't see out into the brig. The low wall of iron wouldn't let her.

"Jim?"

For only a split moment, the girl's heart leapt within her throbbing chest as she thought she was seeing the face of the one she loved, but it only took another instant to realize that it was his father.

Not taking her eyes from him, Zara swallowed hard in an attempt to be better heard as she watched the man lower himself to kneel beside her, her free hand raised to grab at the fabric of his jacket sleeve. "W-Where is Jim?"

Doing his best to avoid the desperate eyes of the girl beneath him, Jim's father distracted himself with arranging the mess of items he'd brought back with him, his words hurried yet firm as he freed himself of Zarabeth's hand. "The infirmary. I wanted his leg rewrapped since the bleeding started up again."

Her mind comforted for the moment, Zara's thoughts were quickly turned elsewhere as she noticed the things set beside her: rolls of bandages and gauze, a couple of flasks, and what looked like a half-empty bottle of rum. Was he going to help her?

"You can remove your hand now, lass. It's gonna take a lot more than that to staunch the bleeding."

Gingerly lifting her hand away from her shoulder, Zarabeth left it hanging above her, the small shock at knowing that that was all her own blood dripping from her hand freezing her senses for a moment.

Without a word, the second mate soaked a chunk of the clean cloth in water before beginning to work at removing the bloodstains from the girl's trembling hand. Once that was done, he moved to begin cleaning the stray blood marks around the wound, being as careful as he could to not hurt Zara more than was necessary.

Jim's father took a moment to get a few things ready before nervously returning his attention downward, the man clearing his throat before speaking again. "I'm gonna need to clean out your shoulder before I wrap it up. It's gonna hurt...a lot. Can't let it get infected, though."

Biting down on her lower lip, Zarabeth could only nod distractedly as she answered quietly. "That what the rum's for?"

"Smart girl." Unable to suppress a small smirk from forming on his lips, Jim's father chuckled quietly as he uncorked the dark glass bottle. "You want any of this before I start?"

Taken aback by his bluntness, Zara raised her voice slightly as she unconsciously smiled. "N-No of course not!"

"Just thought I'd ask." His smile slowly fading, the second mate's voice took on a more serious note. "This'll hurt like brimstone if you've never done it before. Just don't bite your tongue off or anything."

Releasing a shaking breath, Zara simply nodded as she clenched her jaw, preferring to avoid such an event. Eyes trained on the far corner of the cell, the girl tried hard not to think about anything as she waited.

Zarabeth's pained cry rang through the brig without her consent, head whipped to the side as if it could help her escape the searing pain burning through her shoulder and chest. Her vision pulsing in and out of clarity, Zara's arched back only added to the sensations as her aching sides accompanied every other pain racking her body. It felt like time simply stopped, the liquid poured over her an endless supply to the burning which never seemed to lessen. It just continued.

But as suddenly as it had all begun, it was all over. The rum now gone, Zarabeth was left trembling and panting, her fingernails slowly releasing their grip on the wooden floor beneath her as the searing fire in the depths of her wound gradually distinguishing into a dull throb.

Her mind clear once more, the girl found herself releasing a small chuckle as she limply pushed the waves of her hair away up from her face, her words to the second mate broken by her own shallow breathing, but eventually managed. "Tha-That wasn't so bad."

Except for a few sharp breaths from Zara, there was relevant silence between her and Jim's father for a while as she watched him carefully cover the four-inch long cut between her collarbone and shoulder with layers of clean white bandages.

Tying off his handiwork with a firm tug, the man cleared his throat again before sitting upright. "That should hold."

"Thank you." She knew she sounded distracted. She couldn't help it. Propping herself up on one elbow, trying hard not to aggravate her injured shoulder, Zara fought for the man's attention as she voiced the only question plaguing her mind. "It's basically over now. I'm just as good to you dead as alive, at this point. So why are you still helping me?"

Finally meeting the girl's constant gaze, Zara couldn't help but smile internally as she noticed how pure the blue color of the man's eyes were. They looked like Jim's.

"Regardless of what you might think of me, I'm flesh and blood, same as you. I'm no monster."

"I never said you were."

"Ah, but you have, lass. After all, I'm the low-life drunkard who abandoned his family for a half-baked dream. Right? Or have you reconsidered your previous accusations? No. I thought not. The past aside, I can't ignore the choice facing me. And I'm choosing to do right, I'll have you know."

"What choice?"

Releasing a long breath, the second mate folded his arms distractedly over his chest while concentrating on reading the girl's changing looks as he spoke. "Leaving was my attempt at wiping the slate clean, and, until today, it had worked rather nicely. I have everything I'd ever wanted, never even giving a thought to the fact that I still had family out there somewhere.

Of course I always knew that I could possibly run into Jim one day, probably not Sarah, but, of all that could happen, I didn't just have him thrust upon me, no. Here I have before me someone I never thought I'd see, my son's bride-to-be. It would have been all too easy to just ignore him, to deny ever knowing him, but you...you I can't ignore.

I see the way he looks at you. I used to look that way...at Sarah. Etherium's sake, I would have done anything for her, gone anywhere to keep her safe...way back then, anyway.

I-I could have ignored him, but I know what it feels like to love a woman, to be afraid for her. I...can't watch Jim go through that, even if it ends up being at the cost of him finding out who I am. I can see that he loves you. Even if I was blind, I'd know."

The man stopped for a moment, as if forgetting where he was going with his explanation, but another second found him back as he finished decidedly. "I can't protect you, you or Jim, but I won't let either of you suffer needlessly. Understood?"

Unable to do anything but nod, Zarabeth's gaze didn't leave his until she redirected her attention to try to sit upright. Using only her left arm, Zara moved her back to be propped against the wooden wall closest to her, sides reminding her in nearly constant dull pain that they were still too sore to be moved so quickly. It didn't hurt to breathe anymore, but she knew it would take some time before she would be able to move normally again.

The second mate's voice brought the girl's thoughts back to the present, the man motioning toward her with a nod.

"That kid's a real charmer, the skin changer. Struts around here like he owns the place. I'd like to see someone kick him for a change."

"You and me both." Unable to suppress a smile, Zara began to laugh, but quickly subdued the urge when her sides screamed their disapproval.

"You gonna be ok?"

Dropping her eyes, the girl bit down on her lip in frustration for a moment before letting herself answer. "It wasn't my first time taking abuse from Damian. So yes, I'll be fine."

Why was she acting like this? She was the hostage. He was the enemy. Jim's father or not, he was still mutually responsible for everything that had happened to her, Jim, and soon, Silver.

She was being open with him, almost comfortable, acting as though nothing was wrong. Piracy aside, could she so easily forget what this man had done to Jim, to Sarah? No. But she couldn't quite bring herself to hate him either.

Zara had always built this man up in her mind as a monster, the physical embodiment of the abuse and pain his family had suffered because of his selfish pride and negligence. This man crouched before her, she knew he was capable of everything she'd been told. She could see it. But the last few hours had shown her something that she'd never expected to find left in him. He still had a heart. He could still feel and act on those feelings. He was doing it right now. He was doing it for her.

Her gaze still averted, Zarabeth tried to keep her voice from trembling as she dare utter the words itching at her mind. "You need to tell Jim."

It was almost frightening how easily the man could slip between comfort and rage, his emotions obviously hardening with the tone in each low word as he slowly rose to his feet. "Now just hold on, sweetheart."

"You said you were willing-"

"I said I was willing to let him find out! On his own! It won't come from me."

"If you don't tell him, then I will! He deserves to know. Surely even you can understand that."

Zara flinched, but was otherwise unfazed by how close Jim's father suddenly was, his face mere inches from hers as he slammed his fist against the wall beside her face. "He might not want to know! Have you thought of that?"

Her mouth open to reply, the girl suddenly froze as a new voice joined the din filling the brig, the sound of it carried from the other side of the room.

"Zara! Honey, you in here?"

The girl couldn't answer immediately, her words momentarily forgotten upon noticing how pale Jim's father had suddenly become. "I'm-I'm here!" Her heart beginning its racing anew, Zarabeth hoped that Jim was ready for what she knew was about to be revealed. She couldn't keep something like that from him. She'd never forgive herself if she simply carried on like nothing was the matter. "Help me up, please? At least let me see him."

Nodding without a word, the second mate extended one of his hands out to the girl, his other ready to help steady her once she was upright.

Maybe it was just her imagination, but Zara thought the man's hands felt gentler than before as he pulled her into a standing position, not releasing her until she had truly regained her footing. She felt a little lightheaded, but the room wasn't spinning like it had been when he brought her down.

Certain that she was stable, Jim's father made his way back to the cell door, the metal grinding together in submission as he unlocked the frame.

Regaining his authoritative demeanor, the man called out in a gruff command to whoever was with Jim. "Bring him here. I'll deal with him myself in a minute. No, you can go now."

The door pulled open wide, Zara's breath was trapped in her throat upon catching sight of the boy hurriedly limping toward her, nothing but relief in his eyes. "Oh, Jim-" The rest of Zarabeth's words were buried in the boy's chest as she clung tightly to the fabric of his shirt, his arms about her trembling but still strong as they held her close, but not firmly enough to hurt her. Jim's voice low to her ear, each word barely above a whisper, was almost enough to let the girl give into the tears unconsciously forming in her eyes.

"Zarabeth, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I did this to you. I-I should have just told them. And now you-"

"Will be alright." Not willing to let him finish, Zara managed to pull her head up enough to face him, the effort to speak past the pain in her heart probably more obvious than she wanted. "You did what you had to. It's not your fault, and you know it. So please don't say that."

Jim tore his gaze from the girl's, his words low and trembling as if they physically hurt him to say aloud. "I betrayed Silver." His eyes returning to Zarabeth, they avoided her pained look, concentrated instead on the blood trying to seep through the bandages on her shoulder. "I hurt you."

Her left hand raised to cup the side of Jim's face, Zara's fingertips played idly in the edges of his unkempt hair as she let her lips press gently against his. The kiss lasted for only a moment, the girl's whispered words brushing against him as she pulled away. "No. You didn't."

Those eyes finally meeting hers, there was so much pain in their crystal gaze, so much fear. If only she could make that look go away. It made Zarabeth sick to watch Jim blame himself. It wasn't his fault. It was those stupid pirates. It was Damian. It was Evanna. It was Jim's father. Jim had nothing to be sorry for, but she knew he thought he had more than enough reason.

Daring to glance over at the second mate still beside the cell door, Zara let her voice drop even lower. "Jim, I really need to tell you something. That man-"

"Ok. Time's up love-birds."

The pirate's gruff interruption made Zarabeth jump slightly, but it did nothing to deter her. Her voice shook uncontrollably as it grew in volume, the girl too desperate to finish speaking to care. "He's your-"

"I said enough! I told you to keep your mouth shut, little lady, and I won't remind you again!"

Zara pulled away from Jim's grasp as she stood to face-off with the second mate. "Then tell him yourself! Because if you don't tell him right now, I will, you filthy coward!"

The girl winced as she was roughly grabbed by her arm, too overcome with fear to make a sound when the second mate's hand flew up, about to hit her.

"Dad?"

The anger burning in the man's eyes withered and died at the sound of Jim's unbelief, his arm slowly lowered back to his side before releasing Zara, eyes concentrated on the floor as he forced out his own acknowledgment through clenched teeth.

"Hello, Jim."


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20:

"Jim? Please say something."

For the last few hours, Zarabeth had done nothing but watch the boy as he sat against the wooden wall, injured leg stretched out beside him, eyes dead and lips sometimes mouthing silent words she could not decipher. It worried her to see him like this, but she didn't want to break his trance-like-state before he was ready. Jim had to sort through the last eleven years of his abandoned life, and the twelve preceding them. He probably never expected to see his father again. He and Sarah couldn't have ever even known if he was still alive or not. But there he was. After all this time, he had to show up like this.

The Etherium shining down on the two through the grate was shifting from bright orange and pink stardust clouds to the darkness of night. Soon, the stars above would be the only source of light in the brig, the lamps long since snuffed out.

Zara had been quiet for so long, forcing herself to not speak sooner, but she couldn't take it anymore. Closing the few feet of distance between her and Jim, the girl sat on her knees beside him, unsure of what else to do but try to attain his attention, to pull him gently from his stupor.

"Jim?"

The boy blinked unresponsively a few times before turning his head a little more towards Zarabeth, his only words low and gravely. "You knew?"

The small needles of pain stabbing the girl's heart were akin to those years ago aboard the Legacy when Zara had discovered Silver's mutiny. She couldn't tell anyone, and it hurt that she knew there was nothing she could do to keep Jim safe from it. She felt like that now. "Only since today... Jim, I'm sorry. I would've told you sooner, but-but he-"

"No. Don't apologize. I-I didn't mean to accuse you, I'm just..." Unsure of how to finish, Jim released a heavy breath before running a hand over his tired eyes.

Still kneeling beside him, Zarabeth bit her lip in an internal struggle before reaching a trembling hand out to turn the boy's face toward her, her own voice barely above a whisper. "Please talk to me. You shouldn't have to bear this alone. But I can't help you if you won't let me try."

Pulling himself free of her hand, Jim tipped his head back against the solid wall of wood behind them, eyes firmly shut as if fighting back tears. After a few moments of silence, the words he'd fought so hard to say came forth in a trembling breath, quiet, yet filled with more emotion than Zara had ever heard from him. "He left us."

Silence.

The girl's head jerked upright at the startling sound of Jim's fist crashing down against the floor.

"He just packed up and left! I mean, what were we supposed to do? I had school. Mom had never worked a job in her life. Did he expect us to be fine just like that?"

Jim's hurried words were suddenly stopped by his own shallow breathing, a trembling hand pulled over his face to hide the tears which so desperately wanted to escape. Pulling his good leg up closer to his chest, the boy propped his elbow against his knee, hand still veiling his eyes as he tried to take a few deep breaths. When he did manage to continue, his voice was quiet and shaking, emotions on the verge of shattering with each word.

"He left her crying. That monster left her begging him to stay...but he walked. He didn't love her. He didn't love me. He has no right to say he ever did."

Releasing a heavy breath, Jim finally pulled his hand away from his moist eyes, looking but not seeing as he stared blankly at the opposite wall. "We-We thought maybe he was dead, after all these years and nothing. I...I wish he was."

"Jim-"

"No, I do. Zarabeth, what am I supposed to tell my mom when we get home? Hi, mom, glad to be back. Oh, guess what? Dad's been a pirate this whole time we've been struggling to survive. Ya, really. He helped kidnap Zara and held us hostage as he watched our lives being threatened without so much as even blinking."

"Jim, stop. It's not like that. He might be the only thing to keep us alive at this-"

"How can you defend him?"

"I-I'm not! All I'm saying is that he's not completely heartless. Jim, I've talked-"

"You are though! Zarabeth, listen to yourself!"

"Would you just shut up and let me finish?" She didn't mean to be so harsh, but her patience was wearing beyond thin at this point. "He abandoned you. I know that, and I've always harbored hate against him for that. I still do. But you can't just jump on him like that. Seeing you has been just as much of a shock for him as it is for you, maybe even more so. He was afraid of you realizing who he was, but he hasn't let that stop him from helping us. Can't you at least see that?"

Certain that she still had his attention, the girl dared to continue.

"He's the one who ordered for your leg to be looked at again. He was busy patching me up just before you came back. Jim, he told me that he couldn't just stand by and watch us suffer. Regardless of whether or not he still loved your mom when he left her, he told me that he remembered what it felt like to be afraid for her, that he could see it in us too. Even if he doesn't love you, he still recognizes that you're his son...that I will be his daughter. It still means something to him. What he did to you and Sarah was unforgivable, but we still need to be thankful that he's willing to look past it, even just a little, for our sake."

Content that she'd said what she had to, Zara was unsure of how Jim would respond, hoping desperately that she hadn't overstepped her boundaries to hurt him further.

When he slowly turned to lock eyes with her, the girl tried to read his feelings in his crystal gaze, more confused than anything by what she saw. He wasn't crying anymore. He wasn't angry. He didn't even look confused. His eyes almost seemed to smile at her, though she couldn't even begin to guess why. "Jim?"

His gaze never leaving hers, the boy's next words completely took her by surprise.

"I love you."

"What?"

"Zarabeth Hartfit, I love you."

Her mind recovering from its confusion, the girl tried hard to redirect Jim's attention as he reached a hand out to cup her cheek. "D-Don't try to change the subject."

"I'm not." Chuckling quietly, the boy slowly closed the distance between them, his lips barely brushing against hers.

"Then what do you call this?" Zara's lips spoke each word right against Jim's, the tickling sensation causing the girl to unconsciously smile.

"It's called thanking you." The boy barely managed to finish speaking before the final space between them was sealed in a kiss, gentle yet unwavering.

Unable to fight the feelings flooding her mind, Zarabeth surrendered her will to resist as she gave in to Jim's sweet touch.

After what seemed like so much more than the few moments it had been, Zara felt the contact break as Jim unwillingly pulled away, his lips leaving hers, their foreheads cradled against each other.

Eyes still shut, it was the boy's whispered words which pulled Zara's gaze back up to meet his.

"I don't deserve you."

In a tone equally as hushed, the girl managed to reply, her mind still slightly numb with the emotions left from Jim's kiss. "Why would you say that?"

His hand still cupping her cheek, the boy ran his thumb over the smooth surface of her skin, tenderly clearing it of what dirt and grime he could. "Because you can understand what mom and I went through better than anyone else I know...but you're still willing to kinda forgive him. You somehow manage to see some good in what he does. And I know...I know you're doing the right thing by it."

"You-You do?"

"Yeah. I do. I hate him for what he's done...but I know I wouldn't be this far in my life without a second chance, and I guess...I guess he deserves one too. Just a small one."

"Jim, I'd understand if you... I-I just didn't want you to think that he doesn't care-" Zarabeth's thought was cut short by the boy's finger pressed against her lips, his eyes radiating so much love and understanding that he didn't even have to say another word to make her understand what he felt. But, he did anyway.

"I'll try, for him. I won't like, but I'll do it. I mean, maybe he's our ticket out of here. Ya know?"

"I sure hope so."

Catching the hint of despair left in her voice, Jim ducked his head down to catch the girl's averted gaze. "Hey. Look at me."

Releasing a small sigh in resignation, Zara obeyed. The girl had hardly met the boy's crystal stare before she felt his lips catch hers once again. The kiss was so unexpected, it took her a moment to even close her eyes, gradually giving in to it all as she concentrated on everything Jim was telling her without a sound.

Her mind jumped a little as the boy's hand tangled itself in the waves of her hair. She had become so used to the abuse dealt to her from her hair being tugged and pulled at over the last week, she had to tell herself to calm down as Jim's fingers played mindlessly in their unkempt waves. He wasn't going to hurt her.

The boy's other hand left where it had been holding her by her good shoulder, it's path trailing down her back until it halted at her waist, urging her closer with a gentle pull.

Zarabeth took in a sharp gasp as she broke away from Jim's touch, the sudden pain radiating through her sides dying away into a dull throb as she knelt curled over, her forehead nearly resting against the floor.

"Shoot. Zara, I'm sorry. I-I wasn't thinking."

The girl tried to wave away Jim's hurried apologies with her hand, finally managing to sit up from her pained position as she propped herself against the wall behind them with an annoyed grunt. "No, no. It-It's not your fault. I forgot about it too. Goodness sakes, Damian..."

She was so tired of it. Zarabeth was so tired of being a slave to her own pain. It didn't seem to ever end. When one would finally begin to fade, a new one, more lingering and debilitating, would take its place. It was hard to remember what it felt like to not be in pain.

Her sides no longer throbbing, Zara took a few deep breaths to confirm their soundness before forcing her lips to smile as she laughed quietly at her own frustration. "You'd think I'd be used to this by now."

She felt so vulnerable, like nothing she could do could possibly stop the continual abuse she had taken and that Jim was certain to receive. Almost no one on this ship cared one way or another whether they lived or died. She and Jim were just an easy means to an end.

Glancing down at her shoulder, Zarabeth was relieved that the bandages were still holding, the bleeding stopped enough so that it wasn't trying to get through the thick cloth surrounding it. At least Jim's father wouldn't have to come down again to help her tonight. For Jim's sake, she hoped the chance encounters would be kept to a minimum.

Her eyes traveling further down, Zara carefully rolled up the sleeves of her blouse above her elbows, remembering that she still had her arms covered in Logan's handiwork from all those short nights ago. Suddenly annoyed by the tattered strips of bandages tied about her wrists, the girl began to work away at the knots on each one, the worn cloth practically falling off of her arms the moment they were free.

"Zara? You ok?"

The words ringing in Zarabeth's mind fell in a dead sort of tone from her lips, the girl unaware that she was even speaking aloud until she'd finished her first sentence. "Logan did this for me. I wanted out of those chains so badly, I didn't even think about what it was doing to me to try."

Her arms did look better compared to what she remembered, most of the more raw parts scabbed over or completely healed.

"His one act of kindness. At first, I thought maybe Logan would be my way out of this. He doesn't want to be here any more than either of us. It's just Damian. He's too scared of him to do anything on his own. Well, he tried, we both did, at a spaceport where we changed ships. I trusted him and we ran, but the moment he thought we'd lost, he turned on me. I guess I should've known better. He won't be of any use to us now. I think our little episode killed any sparks of rebellion left in him."

Jim tried to mirror the girl's sad smile, but it was hard when he couldn't tear his eyes away from her arms. Scooting to sit a little closer to her, the boy cautiously ran his thumb over a part of the skin that looked less sore. "Does it still hurt?"

Simply shaking her head in response, Zara let Jim take her left hand in his, the boy holding it up a little higher as if carefully examining her like a doctor would. After a few moments of quiet, Zarabeth gave a small start, trying hard to suppress her giggling as she fought to take back her arm, Jim's lips leaving small kisses along the scabbed and bruised skin of her wrist and forearm. "Ji-Jim stop! That tickles!"

Writhing only as much as her aching body would allow, Zara waited out the innocent torture as she continued to verbally protest between fits of giggling, the boy showing no immediate signs of stopping. His hand was like iron around her own, but somehow gentle in its resolve.

When Jim was finally finished, he flashed the girl a simple smile before leaving a small kiss against her cheek.

Zarabeth was relieved to catch her breath, but secretly sorry that it was over. For a moment in time, she'd been allowed to forget where they were.

The girl letting a small chuckle escape her, she turned to better face Jim as she breathlessly asked for an explanation. "What was all that for?"

A satisfied look gleaming in his eyes, Jim leaned over to rest his forehead against Zara's, his answer quiet yet content. "I just wanted to hear you laugh. It's been too long."

They were hostages, they were injured, they were threatened, but they were still together. Simply knowing that whatever they'd face, they'd now face it side-by-side, was a bigger comfort than Zara had had in so long. Even though it meant that they'd more than likely hurt each other, she was still grateful to have Jim, thankful for every moment spent with him. It wasn't going to last forever. So she knew she had to smile while she still could, to enjoy the small bits of happiness granted them, and love on Jim while she still had him beside her.

Trying hard to take in everything she felt in that moment of strange comfort, Zarabeth lowered her voice to match Jim's, her eyes slowly closing as she released her words with a small laugh. "Silly boy."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21:

It was taking everything in Zarabeth not to squirm under the coarse grip of rope binding her wrists behind her. The thick cords pulled and dug into her sore wrists with each move she made, a constant reminder for her to try to sit still.

The light breeze moving the waves of Zara's hair out of her face was cool, but not bitingly cold, the constant airflow rustling the leaves of the trees behind her. Other than that, the only sounds surrounding the girl were the low voices of a few pirates scattered about the grassy clearing, the quiet almost foreboding as Zarabeth waited in fear for the sound she knew would come at any moment.

A handful of pirates, Evanna, her first mate, Jim's father, Damian, and Logan had all come down to Risona's surface, prisoners in tow. They were waiting for Silver.

Three days. Three days of constant fear and dread, it was terrible, knowing that there was nothing either she or Jim could do but sit tight until Silver came. There was no point in the pirates flying anywhere. Without the third piece of the key, Evanna didn't even have a faint idea as to where her grandfather's treasure was hidden, so they had to be content to simply stay put. Everything was dependent on Silver. Even the fact that Jim and Zara were still alive was mostly due to him.

Turning her head as far as it would go, the girl tried to find Jim. She knew he was being watched separately somewhere behind her, but her present position was leaving her unable to even catch a glimpse of him.

Zara quickly gave up her efforts as the throbbing in her shoulder began to return, the motion from turning her head pulling sharply at the skin which was just barely beginning to heal. Jim's father had told her that there was no doubt that it would leave a scar, the cut between her collarbone and shoulder a reminder forever of what Evanna had put her through. It was all for the sake of that stupid treasure. Maybe it didn't even exist. No. It had to. If it didn't, there would be no chance of her or Jim surviving this ordeal at all.

The wandering of Zarabeth's mind was brought back to the present by a low grunt from someone standing just above her. Moving her eyes without turning her head, the girl's stomach instantly turned itself into knots upon catching sight of the figure joining her. Why couldn't he just leave her alone?

Damian stretched his arms in a lazy sort of manner over his head before lowering himself to sit against the trunk of a tree beside Zara.

Ever since Jim had been captured, Damian's insults and verbal abuse had escalated, forcing Jim and Zarabeth to endure his presence a good portion of each day. If ever they were left alone, it was only due to Jim's father, the second mate still retaining some authority over the hired hand that Damian was.

The skin changer's nonchalant tone only added to the girl's ever-present annoyance as he propped his hands casually behind his head, the jagged mess of his black hair shifting slightly with the breeze. "So bored."

Preferring to avoid any confrontation with Damian for as long as possible, Zarabeth hoped that ignoring him would be enough to keep his focus away from her.

"That fat old man had better get here before I fall asleep. Honestly, unless a fight breaks out, I'd much rather skip all these little negotiation thingys. I just wanna get to the part where I'm standing knee-deep in gold drabloons."

"You and me both, kid."

Zara jumped slightly at the all-too familiar voice answering Damian's.

Jim's father halted his forward motion to stand protectively in the gap between the girl and the skin changer, his words anything but patient as he glared down at the boy beneath him. "Get up, Corbett. Until you're paid, you're a part of this crew, same as anyone. Believe me when I tell you that we don't like it any more than you do. Now get a move on."

His superior air unchanged, Damian simply chuckled with a ridiculing smirk. "Shielding your little daughter-in-law, are ya? Look gramps, there's nothing for me to do. Until that cyborg shows up, my orders are useless. Got it? Besides, I don't have to listen to you, just Flint's girl. Now how about you get a move on?"

"Why you little-"

Zarabeth hardly had any time to register what was happening before Damian was thrashing around above her, the strong hands latched about his shirt collar keeping him upright, back firmly shoved against the tree. She wasn't sure, but for a moment, it sounded as though the boy had released a small whimper in response to the icy stare of the second mate.

"Leland!"

Every head simultaneously turned toward the voice raised above all the others, Evanna's look revealing anything but control as she made her way over to the scuffle.

Leland? That was his name?

"What in Etherium's name is going on? I'm running a little short on patience today, mind you, so someone had better explain and explain fast."

Releasing his grip from the skin changer with a rough shove, Leland's demeanor returned to an authoritative one, jerking his head sarcastically toward Damian as he strove to explain himself. "Fancy-pants here thinks he's too good to work. And he has the gall to try giving me orders. Eva, why are we still holding onto these bounty clowns? They got us the kid, in a sloppy, unprofessional way, mind you, but it's not like we need 'em anymore."

Her cold look only hardening further, Evanna was obviously in no mood to be dealing with her crew's pointless squabbles. "We still need them because I say we do. Got it? Corbett, shut up and get back to your post. Hawkins, you just worry about your own job. Now would everyone just-"

"Captain!"

There was almost no need for the warning call. Everyone instantly noticed what they were supposed to hear. Something was humming and sputtering its way toward the clearing, the noise unmistakable for any other. It was an engine.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22:

"Evanna Flint, ya traitorous wench, what've ya done wit' me kids?!"

"Keep your shirt on, Silver. Really though. Not even a 'hello' or civil greeting for your old ship-mate?"

"I could care less about you, lass. I came for Jim and Zarabeth. Now where are they?!"

"Tone, Silver. Goodness. You can see them in a minute, you have my word. But first-"

"Your word, my right eye! You'd best hurry ta fetch 'em before I blast ya ta smithereens here an' now!"

"Always so pushy. Fine. Have it your way. Sykes. Corbett."

Zarabeth bit down hard on her lip to keep from uttering the scream her lungs burned to release, Damian's hands anything but gentle as they dragged her into the grassy clearing from the tree-line.

Relieved that they weren't moving anymore, Zara was left kneeling in the dirt, trembling only with her uneven breathing. Her bound hands unable to help support her, the girl was forced to welcome Damian's hand gripped in her tangled hair, his hold somehow keeping her upright.

That same voice, shouting violently only moments before, was now soft in disbelief, the cyborg's single word hardly audible above the unashamed snickering of the pirates around them. "Zara?"

Moving her gaze to meet his, Zarabeth forced a smile to cross her lips, the gravel in her voice the only thing to hinder her equally quiet words. "Hey, Silver."

It had been a long two years, two years without seeing Silver. Yet, there he was. Why did their every encounter have to be by some horrible or cruel turn of fate?

Jim and the pirate guarding him were just as quick to join the group, the boy's look revealing the despairing anger he was fighting as he stood beside his captor. "Silver! I don't think I've ever been so happy to see you...but not. You...you shouldn't be here."

"Oh, Jimbo. As if I'd ever turn down an opportunity ta see you two."

The momentary cheer in the cyborg's eye faded as he turned to face the pirate captain once more, his mechanical eye glowing a deep, warning red. "Now you, you she-devil's spawn! You've a heapin' of explainin' ta do, and you'd best do it fast! Got me?!"

Without even so much as flinching, Evanna took every one of Silver's words with complete calmness, the alien woman slowly folding her arms over her chest as she replied in a surprisingly casual manner. "Wasn't my message enough? You have something of mine. I want it back. I hope you brought it."

"Aye. I did. But give me one good reason why I shouldn't just smash it ta pieces here an' now. I bet ya don't even have t'e other two. You've always tried ta bluff yer way outta t'ings."

"Playing innocent will get you nowhere, Silver. I already know you gave the kid one. You're an even bigger fool than I thought if you presumed to trick me by splitting the keys up like that. So, I believe that makes it your fault the kids are even here. What do think about that?"

"If dis is your way of getting back at me, lass, then you've got another t'ing comin'."

For the first time since Silver arrived, Evanna's eyes hardened, emitting an icy glare directed at the cyborg. For how angry she seemed, each word was delivered with a cold sort of permanence, the woman still able to retain some of her composure as she began spewing one threat after another.

"No actually, it's not. If I wanted to 'get back at you', this isn't how I'd do it. No. You'd have come here only to find a couple of corpses, the life completely shredded from those brats you seem to care so much about. Or, better yet, I could've had you watch them as I cut the last breath from that girl's sorry little throat, nothing but pleads for your help falling from her lips as the kid blames you for every inch I take out of her. That's what you deserve you flea-bitten scum bag."

"Woah now, Eva! I don't t'ink you'd need ta be as harsh and violent as all dat. Would a heartfelt apology appease ya?"

"You stole my map!" The pirate captain's last bit of control snapped, Evanna's laser pistol was instantly aimed at the cyborg's face.

"N-now wait a minute, lass. I can explain. I was gonna split ta treasure wit' ya! Cross me heart, I was!"

"Keep talking, old man."

"Old man? Hah! You'd have never called me dat when you and I was-"

"I didn't care back then! But I should've known. I should've known you were just using me! You never actually cared about me! I was just an easy means to an end!"

"Woah! Wai-What?" Well beyond confused, Jim managed to raise his voice above the two, fighting to understand as he looked from one to the other for some sort of confirmation. "You...and-and her? Silver! She's like half your age!"

A sheepish grin was the only answer Jim received from the cyborg, the momentarily awkward lull shattered without a second thought.

"That treasure was supposed to be mine!"

"Well it wouldn't 'ave made a stitch of difference if you'd been dere or not. The place was set to blow! Boom! Flinty's trove blown sky-high!"

"I knew about the trap, you idiot!"

"Ya-ya did?"

"Yes!"

"T'en why didn't ya tell me?!"

"It didn't matter! Not until we got there! And we were only a few months away! You could've had your share of it all, but no! You had to mutiny, take the map, and make off like the thief that you are with absolutely nothing to show for it! Congratulations! Now give me the key before you destroy what's left of my inheritance!"

"Alright, alright. Just take a breath, lass. I has your stupid little key. But first, Jim and Zarabeth go free."

Taking a moment to soften back into her usual aloof casualness, Evanna's eyes almost seemed to twinkle with malice as her simple question left the air feeling tense. "Says who?"

Silver's mechanical eye twitched in surprise, his expression blank for only a moment before cold rage seamlessly filled the void. "Don't you toy wit' me, lass. You forget, I'm t'e only t'ing standin' 'tween you and yer precious treasure. You'd best do as I say."

Pushing back the few loose strands of golden hair falling over her face, the alien woman flashed the cyborg a simple smile before answering in as carefree a tone as she could manage. "Ah, but you forget, Mr. Silver, that I have you outmatched from all sides. You are completely and utterly at my mercy. You, my dear, are in no state to be bargaining with me."

"Yer mercy, huh? I'll give ya mercy-"

Time seemed to freeze in that next moment as Silver's mechanical hand changed into a laser pistol, his sudden move met with each pirate instantly drawing their own cutlasses or guns, the sound of a dozen pistols being cocked filling the silence in the clearing.

"Silver, don't!" Zarabeth jerked forward from her knees, unconsciously trying to get to the cyborg. The girl stopped with a gasp as Damian pulled back sharply on her hair, the boy's other hand quick to retrieve his own gun.

She knew there was no point in struggling, but she couldn't help it. Kneeling there in the dirt, hands bound, Damian's grip on her the only thing keeping her upright, Zarabeth had never felt so helpless. There was nothing left to do but watch as she waited in fear for the pirates to seize Silver.

Were they going to hand him over for the reward on his head? What if they were just going to kill him?

Zarabeth's thoughts were cut short as the sharp 'click' of Damian pistol was cocked right by her ear.

No matter how far she tried to turn away, Zara couldn't escape the barrel of the gun that was now being pressed against her temple, the girl having to bite down on her lip to keep it from visibly trembling as she clamped her eyes shut. She'd been threatened with guns before, but not like this. One false move and her life was over, obliterated by the simple pulling of a trigger.

The sound of Evanna's voice forced Zara's eyes open again, the girl more afraid of what she couldn't see than of trying to forget the pistol aimed at her.

"Oh now, Silver, look what you've done. You really are making this harder than it needs to be. If you think I'm just making this all up as I go, then you'd be dead wrong. I've known for a few days now exactly what I'd say to you. Given, you managed to get me more flustered than I'd expected, but now I have you precisely where I want you to be. So, this is the part of my brilliant plan where I give you two choices, you performing only one or the other."

With more than obvious aggravation, Silver lowered his arm, changing it back into his mechanical hand before answering with a low groan. "I'm listening."

Satisfied with the cyborg's reaction, Evanna let her lips part in a menacing smirk, her now-visible fangs only adding to the evil air emanating from the alien captain. "One: You refuse to willingly hand over the key and I have the girl shot, then the boy, and finally you. The key will be mine."

Her thoughts frantically working over the woman's words, Zara could feel her mind begin to cave in on itself in fear, her desperation only growing as she caught Silver's worried glances toward her and Jim.

"Two: You hand over the key, and I generously let you go free."

"T'at'd be what I was tryin' ta bargain wit' ya for, lass! Let 'em loose and I'll gladly have ya relieve me of t'is chunk of metal. Ok?"

Acting as though taken off guard for a moment, Evanna's smile quickly returned, now accompanied by a low chuckle. "I swear, Silver, you really do have selective hearing. I didn't say all of you. Allowing you to live means they stay. I can't just let them go free! They know a little too much for my comfort, and just enough to make my final resting place the noose. You're different, though. You, a wanted pirate, don't have the circumstances available to you to sell me out. They do. Now, I'm only going to say this one more time. Refuse me and die or surrender and live. You go, they stay."

"No..." Zara hadn't even realized she'd spoken, her whole body trembling as she felt all six of Evanna's eyes burn right through her, the alien woman taking obvious enjoyment in watching the girl's defeated response.

Silver took only a moment to twitch his gaze between Jim and Zarabeth, his face completely devoid of any emotion. Quick to turn his attention back to the alien captain, the cyborg's tone was almost cheerful as he gave in with a resigned breath. "Oh fine, fine. Have it yer way, lass. My apologies for t'e misunderstandin'. I don't usually mean ta cause such a fuss, but old age turns a cyborg right sour sometimes, I'll admit."

What was he doing? Searching Silver's face for any hint of a bluff or ruse, Zarabeth could find none, the situation becoming more frightful and puzzling as the cyborg carried on.

The way he was acting, memories of their days aboard the Legacy began to flare up in the girl's mind with each word.

Silver was acting like his older pirate self.

"It...it can't be..." Zara couldn't believe it, but it was practically yelling at her in the face.

"Here's yer key. When ya find ol' Flinty's store, try not ta t'ink badly of me. You'll be gettin' more treasure, lass, than we ever did from our little raid of Treasure Planet."

Her mind frantically working over everything, Zara tried to turn her head to look at Jim, her heart falling a little more upon catching the bewildered expression clouding his face.

Evanna held the metal plated key a little ways from her face, turning it over a few times before pocketing it with a satisfied smile. "Nice to see you've come around to my way of thinking, Silver. Took you long enough." With a quick flourish of her hand, the ring of pirates lowered their various weapons, extracting a relieved smile from the cyborg as he turned his head this way and that.

Retrieving something from her pocket, the sound of coins clinking and clacking together filled the silence as Evanna dropped the handful into a small leather pouch, throwing it toward Silver with a small toss. "Just a little something to help ease the pain. For old times sake."

"Aye, that should do well ta soothe me achin' heart." Testing the weight of the coins in his palm, the cyborg gave a surprised chuckle as he pocketed the money, tipping his hat in a gentlemanly gesture toward the alien woman before turning to make his way back to the longboat he'd arrived in.

"Farewell to ya, Ms. Flint. May our paths never be so's fortunate as to cross again."

"Hurry back to your hovel, old man." With that final remark, Evanna's smile disappeared, the alien woman's eyes cold as they turned to face her prisoners, a single nod signaling for them to be moved.

"N-No. That's not..." Turning from one face to another, Zarabeth fought to understand, her chest growing painfully tight with each passing moment.

She wasn't seeing things. Silver was walking away from them. He didn't say anything to them. He didn't even look back.

Her mind was jolted back into the present as Damian got her to her feet, half pulling half dragging her the other way toward the pirate longboat as she kicked and struggled, the girl not caring how loudly she was calling out after him.

"Silver?"

"Silver!" Ignoring the pirate at his side, Jim's voice was angry and confused, fighting for the cyborg's attention even as he was unwillingly pulled away from the clearing. "Silver look at me! Silver!"

The sound of an engine roaring to life was suddenly heard above all others, the splintering frame of a longboat taking off for the open Etherium, a cyborg its only passenger.

"Silver?"


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23:

It was cold. She didn't care. The iron cuffs bit with icy teeth into her wrists. She hardly felt it.

A rush of cool mountain air blew through the brig as the pirate ship flew as low as it could over Risona's surface, late afternoon quickly fading into twilight as the Etherium above them hailed the long night ahead.

Zarabeth didn't know how long it'd been since she and Jim were brought back down, the girl in her usual cell, the boy in the one beside her. It must have been hours. It didn't feel like it.

However long it had been, Zara hadn't moved from where she'd been lying on her side in the far corner of the cell. Arms curled about her, face turned to the wall, the girl didn't even seem to notice the dead tears falling ever slowly down her cheeks, nothing in her heart but defeated pain.

She couldn't remember when Jim had finally stopped knocking his fists against the walls, pulling mindlessly at the chains which bound him, his indistinguishable words and low curses the only sounds to shatter the quiet filling the brig. Now he was silent. He wasn't moving.

Unable to do anything but cry, Zarabeth's mind worked endlessly over Silver's final words. The way he looked, that unnatural twinkle in his eye. She'd watched him change.

He didn't just leave them. He abandoned them.

All this time, Zara had dreaded and feared a thought, a thought that wouldn't leave her alone. If Silver did come for her and Jim, she thought she knew that he would willingly trade in his life for theirs, no questions asked. The thought of it had ravaged Zara's mind like a nightmare ever since the pirates had sent for Silver, the girl unable to shake that fear until today, all those thoughts suddenly replaced with a single realization, cold and real. A threat and a handful of gold were all it took for Silver to give up on her and Jim. It didn't take much.

Did he really love them? Ever? Had they meant anything more to him than an escape, a cure, a means to an end? Had he used them the way he used Evanna? Was it all just a lie?

All these years, he hadn't really changed. The pirate she'd seen in him long ago, it never left. It was just waiting to shed its skin, waiting to return to what it truly knew.

He's just another pirate.

"Zara?"

His voice sounded so quiet. But she didn't want to move. She didn't have the will to even turn her head to face him.

"Zara, you asleep?"

Sniffing back another wave of tears, the girl bit down hard on her lip before releasing a quiet, "No."

"Honey, please just look at me."

Unable to muster enough strength to do as she was asked, all Zarabeth could do was pull her arms tighter around her, the chains at her wrists rattling noisily as she tried to ignore the dull throbbing in her shoulder. The empty tears continued to fall against her skin without her permission, the girl's voice cracked and quiet even to her own ears. "He-He left us. Jim, he didn't even look back."

"It...It doesn't matter anymore."

Unable to stand it any longer, Zara propped herself up until she was sitting against the wooden wall, her bleary eyes finally turning to meet Jim's.

"How can you say that?"

Leaning against the wall of bars that separated them, Jim turned his face away, a hand distractedly pulling the hair up from his forehead as he tried to answer. "From now on, we trust no one but each other. Not Silver, not my dad... It's just us." His eyes locking with hers once more, Jim could feel the control on his emotions slipping. Swallowing hard, voice hushed and strained, he finish. "No one else is coming."

"Jim..."

Stumbling to her feet, Zara kept one hand firmly against the wall as she made her way over to where Jim stood, the clanking of the chains behind her the only sounds in that short time of silence. One hand clinging to the bars between them, the girl gently covered Jim's trembling hand with her own.

Watching the tears threatening to fall from the corners of the boy's crystal eyes, it was chipping away at Zara's heart to see him like this. She watched in complete silence as Jim tried several times to speak, the boy finally able to say the words ravaging his mind in a voice devoid of anything but despair.

"It was stupid of me to think that I could rescue you alone. I'm sorry... I'm sorry I couldn't save you."

Pressing her forehead against the bars, Zarabeth could just barely feel Jim's touching hers, the warmth she felt a small comfort to her broken mind.

"You are saving me. Just by being here. It's selfish of me to be thankful, even a little, that you're here, but I don't know what I'd do without you. Besides, I need you to help keep Damian away."

Unable to resist a small smile, Jim gave a low chuckle through his tears before managing to plant a small kiss on the end of the girl's nose. "Gladly."

Returning the boy's look, Zara's smile instantly faded as the thought of Silver flashed in her mind again. It wouldn't leave her alone. Every small happiness granted her seemed to be mercilessly torn from her before she could be thankful for it. She felt so beaten.

Catching the change in her eyes, Jim tried to regain her attention as he tilted his head a little to the side. "Zara, we've gotta let it go. Forget Silver. No, don't look at me like that. Just hear me out. We've gone years at a time without seeing him and we've always been fine. We...We don't need him." Each word was like a barb in his heart, but Jim knew he had to say it, for Zarabeth's sake, even if he didn't believe it himself. They had to move on, no matter how much it hurt. There was no time for them to be angry at Silver, no time to feel sorry for themselves. They had to focus on staying alive and needed. It was their only chance of surviving this.

Releasing a heavy breath in resignation, Zara nodded slowly, eyes cast down as she fought to stave off a new wave of tears. She just couldn't believe it, even now. But Jim was right. They were fine without him. They had been before. They were now. Evanna had made sure days ago that he wouldn't save them, anyway. There was nothing anyone could have done. Even him.

No. No, it wasn't like that. Silver didn't leave begrudgingly. He was smiling. He apologized to Evanna. He ran off with her filthy money in his pocket. It was like he'd completely forgotten about her and Jim. How could he? Just like that...

"Cute."

Jim and Zarabeth simultaneously turned their heads toward the startling presence of a newcomer's voice, the girl's gaze instantly hardening at the sight.

Jim was the first to react, his cold words spoken through clenched teeth as he took a step closer to the open brig. "Beat it, Corbett."

"Oh calm down, Jimmy. Here I am, just minding my own business and you have to go and snap at me. Ya ever heard of manners? You could use some."

Zara tried to keep her voice as even and emotionless as possible, her patience dwindling faster than she wished it would. "Speak for yourself Damian. Now kindly leave before I get mad enough to call the second mate down here. He hates you already, so I'm sure he'd be more than happy to throw the trash out for me."

"I'm not even gonna acknowledge that last remark, Ms. Hartfit. Actually, I suppose I have to if I'm going to punish you for your defiance and lack of respect for your superiors."

Ignoring the smug malice in the skin changer's glare, Zarabeth tried to let an air of confidence fill her, unwilling to let Damian's demeanor frighten her. "Superiors? That only works if I'm beneath you. Clearly I'm not. So why don't you just run along and go make yourself useful? I'm sure there's a million other things Evanna could have you busy with."

The low 'click' of a lock giving way stopped Zara's heart for a moment, the unexpected sound forcing her to redirect her gaze as she watched Damian pull the heavy metal door open.

Satisfied with the momentary look of fear paling the girl's cheeks, the skin changer took his time in entering her cell, his leather boots falling with a foreboding, dull thud against the wooden floor with each step.

The boy couldn't help but smirk at his small victory. He'd broken her down, slowly, but he knew for sure that she was afraid of him. Rightly so.

"It's the prettiest ones who make the most trouble. Girls like you are all the same. Stubborn, feisty, but too beautiful to ignore. It takes a little while, but you all have a breaking point. You, baby girl, have always put up a little more fight than Cam did, but that just means you're more fun. I like a challenge, as long as I win. Even if we end up killing Hawkins when this is all over, I'll make sure to keep you. After all, a victor must have his prize to show for it."

Jim couldn't take it anymore, his anger too strong to smother as he clung all the tighter to the bars separating him from Damian. "You slime bag-"

"How dare you talk that way to me!"

Taken aback, the fury Jim had felt only moments ago was replaced by pure surprise at Zarabeth's reaction, knowing full well that her tone meant anything but good for the receiving party.

"You think you can just get away with walking all over everyone. Well you can't! I will not be treated like the weakling you act like I am any longer! I am not your pet, your prey, or a prize you think you're entitled to! You think you can break me, and you're probably right, but no fear I might ever have for you could possibly change the fact that I loathe you with every emotion I am capable of. I hope you've thoroughly enjoyed watching me suffer through all the abuse you've put me through, because it ends now. Now get out!"

Zara's final words had hardly fallen from her tongue before Damian's iron grip found her throat, hoisting her up until her toes could barely brush the floor.

She could hear Jim, but his angry voice sounded so muffled and distant. The loudest sound in her ears was Damian's heavy breathing and the pounding of her own heart throbbing in her head.

Iron chains scraped against each other as the girl fought to tear the skin changer's hand from her throat, her fruitless efforts only heightening her desperation to breathe.

Kicking. Clawing. Squirming. Zarabeth's anger was the only thing saving her from pure panic as Damian's grip only tightened, wrenching the smallest screech from the girl's trembling lips.

Damian had never looked so enraged as in that moment, his emotions fueling the wicked smile drawn across his face, that unwavering amethyst gaze like shards of glass piercing right through his captive prey.

"Still proud of those words, baby girl? Think you're being tough in front of lover boy? Let's just see how long you can last before you're begging for my mercy."

Zara's hands were beginning to feel like lead, each movement becoming more and more of an effort as she fought to keep a hold of her senses. It wasn't until the edges of her vision began to grow dark that Zara felt a twinge of panic fuel her last fight to breathe.

"Hey!"

One angry voice suddenly overlapped another in Zarabeth's ears as she was abruptly released, the girl instantly collapsing into a heap on the floor.

Air. Glorious air. No matter how hard she tried, she still could hardly breathe it, her lungs only managing small gulps before wasting them on uncontrollable fits of coughing. Somehow rolling onto her hands and knees, Zara turned to see what had saved her, the sight that met her eyes too unexpected to believe for a moment.

Standing over Damian's crumpled form was Leland, the skin changer bruised and bleeding as he raised a trembling hand of surrender towards the second mate. Ignoring the gesture, Leland knelt down in front of the boy, grabbing him by his shirt collar to hoist him closer, making sure Damian could hear his every word, low and deliberate. "You listen and you listen good. Stick to your orders, Corbett. Leave them alone."

Certain that he'd been heard, Jim's father rose to his feet before releasing his grip on the boy with a rough shove, Damian obviously content to stay as he was on the floor against the far wall, panting, beaten, and bruised.

"Ok, sweetheart. Just keep breathing. No, no. You gotta stay sitting up. Breathe in...and out. In. Out."

Her mind almost a complete blur, Zarabeth's coughing finally began to subside as she instinctively followed Leland's orders. After a minute of relative comfort, Zara began to understand what had just happened, a hand unconsciously rising to cup her throat as she glanced over at Damian in the corner of her cell. "Th-Thank you. I...I didn't..."

"Hey. It's ok. Good thing I got down here when I did. You alright now? Your shoulder still ok?"

Nodding mechanically, Zara's mind was cleared at the sound of Jim's angry voice echoing across the brig.

"I swear, Corbett, if I ever get my hands on you, I'll wring your sorry neck till it's a yard long!"

"Hey!" Rising from where he'd been kneeling in front of Zarabeth, Leland was instantly facing his son, his authoritative demeanor returning without another moment's hesitation. "You'd better watch your mouth, boy, before you get into real trouble. You hear me? That loser is beneath me, I can do that to him, but you two are at the bottom of the food chain around here. If I have orders to punish you, I'll follow them. I won't jeopardize my place here for the sake of some washed-up kid who just happens to be mine. Alright? So shut up and lie low, if you wanna live. Both of you."

Swallowing hard, Zara averted her gaze as she continued to take in trembling breaths. Jim was right. They couldn't even trust his father. He had no more power to protect them than Logan or Silver. In the end, he was just another pawn.

"Can you get up?"

Her eyes forced upward by the second mates commanding query, the girl nodded quickly before accepting the firm hand offered down to her, daring to take a quick glance over at Jim to assure him that she was alright before meeting Leland's icy gaze.

"I doubt there's much need to tie either of you up again. Just don't try to pull anything and you'll be fine."

Watching in confusion as the second mate began releasing her of her chains, Zara couldn't help but try to understand as she looked up through the grate to confirm the time of night. "Wait. Where are we going? Isn't everyone else asleep?"

Pausing in his efforts for a moment, the man finally finished his work as he let the second cuff fall from the girl's wrist to the floor in a sharp clatter of iron. "Those keys did connect. We've been trying to figure it out, but it just doesn't make sense. Evanna knows that Jim opened Flint's map. Even she couldn't do that. She was relying on old man Bones to do it for her once they reached the planet. Guess she thinks Jim'll figure out what to do with this one too."

"And if I can't?"

Changing his gaze from Zarabeth to Jim, Leland let a morbid chuckle escape his throat before running a hand over his tired eyes. "If not...I'm afraid there's no point in keepin' ya."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24:

"Where's Corbett?"

Evanna's eyes were instantly roaming the small group entering her stateroom, the alien captain bent over her desk in a manner bespeaking of nothing but urgency as she poured over charts, graphs, and maps, the entirety of her collection not confined specifically to just the desktop.

"He won't be joining us." Releasing an aggravated breath, Leland decided to simply leave it at that, securing the door behind him with a firm 'click'. "Did I miss anything?"

"Unfortunately...no." Straightening from her stooped position, Evanna rubbed at her sore back in evident frustration. "It just suddenly goes green every time we pass this point, but that's it. No beam of light. No map suddenly appearing. Gramps is really making me work for this one." Falling back into the armchair behind her, Evanna rubbed distractedly at the side of one of her eyes as she continued to stare blankly at the desk before her.

Zara tried her best to keep a clear head as she clung to Jim's side, her legs still not completely willing to cooperate after her ordeal with Damian.

The boy's arm, protectively wrapped about her, was a comfort to her mind, the idea of Jim dying at the hands of these filthy pirates still plaguing her thoughts as she mulled over the second mate's words. "If not...there's no point in keepin' ya." Their usefulness was the only thing keeping her and Jim alive, Zara knew that. Jim was useful for information and the skills he'd honed over the course of his training at the Academy, but Zara was just leverage to keep Jim moving if he decided to become difficult. Regardless, they were still alive. That had to be good enough for her, right now.

"Hawkins."

Both Zara and Jim simultaneously tensed at Evanna's voice, Jim's emotionless stare meeting the captain's as he waited for her to continue.

"You're a pretty smart kid, from what I gather. I thought I only knew one person who could open that map, but I hear you could do it without even looking. How long did it take you to figure out?"

Simply shrugging, Jim's tone remained devoid of anything but ice. "I just did it."

Despite the underlying feeling of disrespect emanating from the curt reply, the captain seemed pleased with the boy's answer, the confirmation of it evident in the smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.

"Good. Let's just hope you're lucky streak continues. For your sake."

Without another word of warning, Evanna tossed something in Jim's direction, the boy deftly catching the object with one hand, his other still around the girl at his side.

Looking down at Jim's hand, Zara caught herself smiling a little as she realized what the thing was. It was the key. The whole key.

The chunks were no longer separate, but joined in one seamless metal disk, a holographic image rising about an inch above the middle part of the surface. The small blue streams of light converging over the disk flickered ever once in a while, but, most of the time, the picture was relatively clear.

Trying better to see, Zara tilted her head a little to the side, raising her words of question without even thinking about it. "Wh-What is it?"

Turning the metal in a circular motion in the palm of his hand, an incredulous smile began to cross the boy's lips. "A compass. It's a compass, isn't it?" Raising his eyes to meet Evanna's, Jim's deduction was rewarded with a small nod.

"Very good, Mr. Hawkins. We've figured as much. Now. The real question is this-"

Forgetting her fear, Zarabeth willingly made her way over to the wooden desk when Evanna motioned for her and Jim to come closer, more intrigued by the situation than afraid of it, at the moment.

"-when we pass this exact point here, the light changes. It flickers and turns green. Why?"

As soon as he'd leaned over the surface of the desk, the holographic image in Jim's hand changed, proving Evanna's statement to be true. The beams of light creating the circular image were no longer blue, but green.

Taking a few steps back, Jim's puzzlement only grew as he watched the light turn blue once more. Walking back and forth a few times, the boy's look of bewilderment gradually began to fade.

"Wait a second..."

Zarabeth watched in full attention as Jim took the disk with both hands, the boy suddenly putting force down on it, as if trying to break it.

"What are you doing?!" Jumping up from her chair, Evanna's panicked look was quickly met with Jim's explanation between small grunts of effort.

"Calm down! I just need to-to see it apart...again. There."

The disk was in three chunks once more, the boy leaving two on the desk while carefully scrutinizing the third.

Moving to get a little better light, Jim held the metal at eye-level, his gaze intently searching every nook and cranny for the answers he was seeking.

After a minute or so of silence, Zara's worry began to return. Except for Jim, no one moved. No one spoke. All eyes were intently watching the boy as he studied the metal held between his fingers.

"Yes!"

The whole room jumped at Jim's sudden exclamation, the silence among them still unbroken as they all waited for the boy to explain himself.

Hurriedly making his way back over to the desk, Jim grabbed one of the measuring tools littering the desktop, using it's fine end to point out something inside the metal piece.

"Ok, look. You see this? This circuitry right here? It's used to measure elevation. Every flying machine from a merchant ship to a longboat has some sort of adaption of this. It helps regulate the speed output of the engine upon reentry into a planet's atmosphere. But that's not what this one is for. You see? There are three layers to it, indicating three specific elevations. All three layers of the circuitry are linked up to this small chip right here. Connected with its buddies, it become a hologram projector. Don't you see? The hologram doesn't just simply change color from blue to green. They're completely different projections. Once we pass this point here, right here, the hologram switches to another one. It changes from blue to green because, because we need to stop flying. We need to go down to a lower elevation. I think it's telling us to go down to the surface."

Zara waited with breath held, fear creeping over her mind when no one reacted immediately.

Nervously shifting his weight, the first mate was the first to break the silence, his voice low and hesitant as he dared to attain Evanna's attention. "Captain?"

The alien woman relaxed back into her armchair with a satisfied sigh, her three sets of eyes almost sparkling with anticipation as she kept her concentration on Jim. "Very impressive, Mr. Hawkins. I am pleased. I suppose I technically should say 'thank you', but not yet. What do you say, Collin? Should we find ourselves some treasure?"

The fins on either side of the alien's head twitched back as he smiled. "Aye, Captain."

Her voice practically dripping with eager anticipation, Evanna sat forward in her chair as she hurriedly began organizing the mess of paper littering her desktop. "Leland. Kindly return these two to the brig until further orders are given. Zed, I want longboats readied with supplies and hands to fly them by morning. Be ready, gentlemen. We leave at dawn."


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25:

"Where is it?!"

"I-I don't know!"

"You said it was down here!"

"It is! Somewhere! I mean, it has to be. This is where the compass stops working."

"Am I just blind?! I don't see anything!"

"I just-I'm doing the best I can here! Alright?!"

"Well 'your best' hasn't found me my treasure yet, has it?! I swear, Hawkins, I should just gut you here and now."

Ice filled Zarabeth's mind at Evanna's threat, the girl unconsciously jolting forward as she tried to step between the two, the vice-like grip of Jim's father keeping her firmly rooted where she was.

After two hours of following the compass on foot, the small group of pirates and their prisoners had finally been led to face the sheer wall of a stone cliff-side, a dead-end in all it's ominous glory.

Jim and Evanna hadn't been yelling at each other for very long before Zed, the first mate, jumped in, trying his best to remedy the dangerous situation as quickly as he could.

"Captain, please. We will find it, that I promise you. But we have to be patient. This is just like old Flinty to make us work for it. Right? We just have to take the time to look harder."

Releasing her breath in a heated huff, Evanna folded her arms stiffly over her chest as she turned away from Jim, her voice revealing the grating tension she still felt. "Ok. If this is where we're supposed to be, then there's gotta be something here. Check every tree. Look under every rock if you have to! I want this wall searched inch by inch! Clear? Now move!"

Certain that her crew was hurrying to obey, Evanna spun around to face Jim once more, the fierce light glowing from her eyes confirming how close she was to losing her control with him. "I'm warning you, Hawkins. Figure this out before I deem you too useless to keep alive."

Jim was somehow able to remain completely unresponsive as the alien woman threatened him, the boy staggering back a little as the metal disk was shoved roughly into his hands.

This didn't look good. It was Treasure Planet all over again. Zara knew all too well that a pirate like Evanna wouldn't hesitate to bring her threats to life. One false move, ill-placed word, or hesitated action and both she and Jim were nothing but bleeding corpses. Not a very comforting thought.

"You go with him."

Zarabeth instantly met Leland's gaze upon hearing him speak. "What?"

"Go help Jim. I'm gonna see if I can't tame Evanna back down a bit. Someone's bound to get shot with her temper the way it is right now."

"You-Can you do that? Leave me without a guard or anything? Won't that get you in trouble?"

Catching the puzzlement in the girl's eyes, the second mate was quick to try to hide the flicker of a smile unconsciously crossing his lips. "Don't worry about me, sweetheart. Besides, I'm not worried about you. Where could you possibly go if you ran?"  
Satisfied that he meant what he said, Zara decided to just be thankful that he was giving her some time with Jim. Simply nodding to convey that she understood, the girl waited until the second mate had stepped away from her before quickly making her way over to Jim.

Standing beside him, facing the wall of solid rock, Zara remained quiet for a few moments, content to simply cling to Jim's free arm as they stared blankly at the obstacle before them. The silence between them was teaming with unspoken worries and frantic words, neither wishing to be the first to break it, but too frightened to not say what was clear and evident.

Swallowing hard, Zarabeth did her best to suppress the overwhelming feelings of fear threatening to keep her silent, her voice low and trembling when she did finally manage to speak. "Your dad's trying to buy us some time. Any ideas? Well, knowing Flint, the compass probably fits somewhere along the wall. It'd have to be in reach-"

"Zara."

"We should probably keep moving if we don't want Evanna to think were slacking-"

"Just stop!"

Startled by the harsh turn in his voice, Zara tried not to let it affect her as she searched for his true emotions in his eyes. "Jim?"

Hurriedly looking about him, Jim must have confirmed that no one was watching them, wasting no time as he pulled the girl over to a portion of the wall that could temporarily hide them.

The surface was cold against Zarabeth's back, the girl too confused to resist as Jim held her securely against it. "Jim, what are we-"

"Zara, there's no time. You have to promise me something. If things go south, and there's any opportunity, I need you to promise me you'll run."

"Run? But Jim-"

"Zarabeth please! I-I need..." Fighting back the tears which began to form in his eyes, the boy bit down hard on his lip to regain control before finishing. "I need you to live. Once this is over, there's nothing left to do with us. If I give you the chance, you need to get out of here. Run and don't look back."

Now Zara was the one near tears, the smallest hope that was left in her mind now completely collapsed with the boy's words. "Jim, I can't do that. You know I can't! I won't leave you. I never will! Why do you keep asking me to?"

"Because I want you to survive! Is that so much to ask? I won't stand by and twiddle my thumbs just waiting for these pirates to slit our throats! Not when I can still save you."

"B-But..."

Any objections Zara had were momentarily forgotten as the warmth of Jim's hands surrounded her face, his gentle touch overwhelming her fragile senses with so much love and security, she didn't know what to feel in that moment.

"Please, Zara. This is all I can do."

Closing her eyes, it wasn't but a moment later that Zarabeth felt Jim's lips press against her forehead in a trembling kiss, the boy's voice only loud enough to be heard by her.

"Let me do this."

Releasing her pent-up breath, Zara couldn't bear to look Jim in the eye, too afraid that she'd give in to his request if she did, her gaze concentrated instead on the wall beside her. "Jim I-I couldn't... I just-" Whatever she'd been prepared to say, the words slipped from the girl's mind, her thoughts suddenly elsewhere as something caught her eye. "Jim. Jim, look."

Following Zarabeth's gaze, the boy's mind was instantly flooded with a strange mixture of relief and fear.

A perfectly round piece was cut out from the stone wall, the opening about a foot from the ground and only a few inches deep. The key would fit.

Forgetting to even call out for anyone else, the two simultaneously knelt before the wall, Jim's hand shaking slightly as he held the metal disk up toward the hole.

Click.

As is with a magnetic pull, the compass fell into perfect place inside the wall, making the stone appear seamless once again.

"Jim. We did-"

Without warning, the ground beneath Zarabeth's knees dropped out from under her, plunging her and Jim into darkness before she could even make a sound.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26:

Zarabeth gasped in pain as she tried to push herself upright, every instinct screaming at her to just stay still. She couldn't. No longer stunned, she had to see where she was, where Jim was. Jim! Was he alright? The last thing she knew was that she was kneeling by the wall with Jim after he put the key in. What happened?

"J-Jim?"

No answer.

Her mind working itself into a frantic mess, Zara ignored the sharp pain in her shoulder as she tried even harder to get up from where she was lying on her stomach. She had only moved a little ways before realizing that something heavy was on her legs, preventing her from rising. Was it Jim?

"Jim? Jim, can you hear me?"

After a few moments of tense silence, the weight shifted a little as it released a drawn out groan.

"Oh thank goodness. Jim, are you alright?"

Forcing himself to sit up with a pained grunt, the boy took a few long breaths before finally making an answer. "Never better. W-What happened?"

With her legs now free, Zara managed to roll onto her back before letting Jim help her sit upright, the sound of distant voices catching her ear as they slowly grew louder. Looking up, the girl had to squint at the light streaming down from an opening a good ten feet above her head, all else nearly pitch darkness to her vision.

Following her gaze, Jim gave a low chuckle in understanding, slowly pushing himself to his feet as he realized that the wall at his back was only dirt. "Nice trap door. Dirt doesn't make the best landing pad, but at least it wasn't rock." Dusting his hands on his pants, Jim took a few limping steps toward what he assumed was the wall parallel to him and Zarabeth. "Ok, Flint. If we got down here, there's gotta be some way back up."

Turning her head from side to side, Zara couldn't be sure where the darkness ended and solid earth began, everything still too muddled to decipher except by touch and the bit of light from the surface.

"Hey! Hey, Zara, come see this! Or, I guess, feel this."

Making it onto her feet as quickly as she dared, the girl took one of Jim's outstretched hands, trusting his other to guide her free hand until it came into contact with something smooth and solid in comparison to the dirt around it. "W-What is it?"

Reaching about a foot above his head, Jim gave a low chuckle as he made Zarabeth's hand join his. "I think it's a ladder. You know, like the kind you put on tree-houses by nailing boards right to the tree?"

Looking up at the opening high above them, Zara joined Jim in his light laughing as she confirmed that it would easily let them back out on top of the ground. "Hey, works for me."

"Well then. Ladies first?"

Grabbing the smooth wood with as firm a grip as she could manage, Zarabeth unconsciously held her breath as she cautiously felt around for the next rung above her, only moving upward as soon as she was certain it was safe. With Jim's hands gently holding her sides to guide her, Zara was quickly making her way up the ladder and out of his reach.

Taking a moment to pause and look up, Zara realized that she was about half-way up, the sounds of frantic voices and hurried feet urging her to quicken her pace.

Reaching for the next rung, the beam beneath her fingers creaked and groaned in a foreboding warning, but there was no time for caution.

About to grab the next board, her footing was suddenly lost beneath her, nothing but air to meet her heels. Without even time to scream, Zarabeth's hands instinctively tried to latch onto something, anything, her right hand suddenly hitching on a beam a few rungs lower than she'd been.

Her vision flashed white. Knives of burning pain tore through her chest and shoulder as she hung there for only a moment. She shouldn't have done that.

Her ears were dead to all sounds but those of her heart in her ears and her own labored breathing. She couldn't think. She couldn't feel herself moving. All she knew was the rebirth of pain as it made itself manifest in her unhealed wound.

Squirming beneath that burning hand of pain, Zara had to eventually force her eyes to open, her vision fading in and out of clarity as she tried to understand. What happened?

Jim. She could see Jim leaning over her, his mouth moving in words she could barely hear, his eyes radiating nothing but fear and desperation. As one wave of pain slowly subsided, Zarabeth was momentarily able to think clearly, her vision no longer pulsing with her heart.

"Zarabeth do not do this me! Say something. Please. Zara?"

One word had hardly left the boy's lips before another was taking its place.

"Ji-"

It hurt so much to speak, the combination of the burning pain in her chest and sporadic breathing making each word an effort, but she had to try. "Jim." Still unable to quite understand how she was now lying on the ground, Zara said the only thing she could clearly comprehend. "It-It hurts."

It was her shoulder. That had to be it. She tried to catch herself from falling with her bad arm.

Daring to tilt her head to glance down, cold fear froze the girl's gaze to her bloodied shoulder.

"Hey, hey. Eyes up here, ok? Zara just look at me. You're gonna be fine." His forced smile faded in an instant, the boy's brows furrowed in worry as he continued. "One quick question. Do you know what planet we're on?"

Forcing her eyes to meet Jim's, Zarabeth was struggling to keep her mind calm. This couldn't happen. Not now. Wait. What did he just ask? What planet? Is that really what he said?

"R-Risona?"

"Ok good."

Jim released a slightly relieved breath. Watching her fall, there hadn't been much time for him to react. He more let Zara fall on top of him than caught her. He just desperately hoped that she hadn't hit her head. But even knowing now that she hadn't, Jim didn't have time to be thankful. The wound on her shoulder had reopened.

The old bandage was already soaked through with new blood. There was only one thing to do right now. He had to stop the bleeding.

Doing the only thing he could think of, Jim hurriedly pulled his shirt over his head, tearing the fabric into thick strips before folding them. Biting down on his lower lip, Jim released his pent-up breath to urge himself forward. Pressing one of the cloth pieces down against the open wound, the boy tried hard not to think about how much this was going to add to Zarabeth's pain. Every time she winced or let a groan escape her lips, Jim could feel his heart wrench in hurt.

Adding another layer to the one that had already been soaked through, Jim's panic was slowly gaining dominance over his thoughts.

About to say something to try to reassure Jim, Zarabeth's mind suddenly went blank at the sound of Evanna's commanding tone on the surface just above them. She'd almost forgotten about the pirates.

"Hawkins! You'd better still be down there by the time we are! Leland, go down first and wrangle your spawn until we can join you. Fletcher, lamp. Zed, figure out if there's any other way down besides jumping."

Her mind working frantically over itself, Zara took in a sharp breath as she propped herself up on her good arm. She had to get up. The girl hadn't gotten much higher before Jim was instantly stopping her, his hands gentle yet firm as they lowered her back to the ground.

"Zara, you gotta stay down. The bleeding hasn't stopped yet."

"No...Jim I need to get up. If Evanna finds me like this-"

"Oh hang Evanna. You just worry about staying still. Ok?"

There was no time to object, the girl's mind empty of any further replies as her attention was redirected to Jim's father standing over them, his voice not as uncaring as she'd expected.

"What happened?"

Shaking his head in frustration, Jim didn't even bother to look up as he continued to work. "Her shoulder opened up. I've been trying to stop the bleeding, but it just won't. I-I don't know what else to do."

Leland reacted instantly, the man kneeling on the other side of Zarabeth, jacket off, sleeves rolled, ready to help. "You gotta add more pressure. It'll hurt, but she'll be worse off if this doesn't stop. Like that. Good. You got any more of this stuff?"

Her mind fading in and out of concentration, the two men talked back and forth over Zara for what felt like so much longer than mere minutes. She was too focused on making as little noise as possible to try to hear what they said.

"What's all this then?!"

All eyes instantly turned themselves toward Evanna, the alien woman standing in the low yellow light of the few lamps held by the pirates around her.

Hurriedly rising to stand protectively between his son and the captain, Leland tried his best to explain. "Eva, there was a little accident and her shoulder wound reopened. It'll take two minutes to patch her up. I swear."

"And it'll take less than one to simply shoot her and be done with it. Lee, I don't have time for this! Do you or do you not realize how close we are?!"

"I know. I get that. But if you remember, we still need her if we want to keep the kid in line."

"Right now, I don't really feel like caring."

Too afraid to open her eyes, Zara instinctively found herself staring at the dark ceiling above her as the sound of a laser pistol being drawn caught her ear.

"It's your fault we're even having this conversation, Evanna."

"My fault?!"

"She's bearing your handiwork!"

Zarabeth's thoughts froze for an instant. Was he...trying to protect her?

"My handiwork? You want to pin this on me? May I remind you, Hawkins, that slicing that wench is what got us this far in the first place?! My handiwork indeed."

"Agree to disagree, but we could be a lot closer to reaching Flint's treasure if we stopped flapping our gums and actually did something about it. Alright? Just let me handle it."

"I swear, Leland, I will cut you both down if I hear one more-"

This couldn't go on. Zara knew she had to do something. She couldn't stay down, not when so many lives were now hanging in the balance.

Forcing herself upright with a sharp gasp, Zarabeth ignored Jim's whispered begging as she clung to his arm, her free hand clutching the layers of cloth to her injured shoulder as she kept her gaze firmly on the alien captain.

Turning to see the girl behind him, the second mate decided it was better to give in now before Evanna really lost it. "See? She'll be fine. All we need to do is wrap it up and we'll be more than good to go. Ok?"

Evanna's cold stare shifted between Zarabeth and Leland for a few tense moments before she grudgingly released her consent.

"Make it snappy, Hawkins."

While the captain began to hurriedly divvy out the orders between her crew members and the three bounty hunters, Jim and his father did their best to finish before them.

Shaking his head in frustration, Jim only spoke loud enough to let the small group hear as he kept the girl upright with one hand, the other pressing firmly against her shoulder. "It's still not stopping. What do we do?"

"Nothing." Securing the last strip of cloth to hold all the others beneath it, the second mate tied it off with a sharp tug. "This'll just have to do."

Taking a quick glance down at her shoulder, Zara could see that it wouldn't be long before the bleeding would push its way through it all. She just had to hope that it would suddenly stop.

"Jim, take her other arm. Gently up. Woah now, you're ok. Easy."

Helping her to her feet, the men on either side of Zarabeth waited till she was sure she was stable before Jim's father began to pull his hand away. "Ok. I'll see if I can leave you two together for the rest of-"

Holding tight to his hand before he could walk away, Zara hurriedly grabbed at the man's attention. "Leland." It was the first time his name had ever fallen from her lips, the girl hoping that her eyes at least conveyed the gratitude she could hardly express. "Thank you."

"For what? Tying a knot? It was Jim's shirt we decimated. Thank him. Speaking of which. Here, Jim. Wear this until we get back to the ship."

Jim caught his father's jacket with one hand, gratefully slipping it on before rearranging his grip on Zarabeth's arm beside him.

Redirecting Leland's attention back to her, Zara shook her head as a small smile caught the corners of her lips. "You know that's not what I mean."

The silence between the two was stagnant for a few moments before the second mate finally pulled out of reach of the girl.

"Don't be thanking me just yet."


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27:

Zarabeth tried her best not to squirm under Logan's hand, his grip tightly placed as high up on her good arm as he could manage, lifting it a little unconsciously as he pulled her along. Regardless of how uncomfortable it was, Zara could not deny that the viperman's hand was the only thing to keep her stumbling along with the rest.

Every once in a while, the girl would take a quick glance down at her shoulder, desperately hoping each time that her bleeding hadn't breached the last few layers of cloth covering it. It was holding it well enough, but Zara knew that the blood was still persisting, slow moving though it was. She had to be careful.

The small company of pirates and their prisoners followed the tunnel, carved right out of the earth, for they knew not how long. With no light from the surface to tell them the time, every minute seemed to stretch out into an eternity.

Straining her neck a little to try to see over the shoulder of the burly pirate in front of her, Zara could just barely glimpse Jim as he walked a few yards in front of her at the head of the small procession, Evanna and the first mate on either side of him. He was safe enough, for now.

The pain, a dull throbbing more times than not, was beginning to escalate, forcing the girl to relax back to being pulled along by her captor's vice-like grip as she lost sight of Jim.

"If she starts lagging behind, finish her." Those were the captain's hushed words to Logan before the group set out. Zara had noted how the order paled the viperman's cheeks, but he nodded in understanding none the less.

The low conversations of the crew and the heavy tread of feet were the only sounds filling the tunnel for a long time. No one spoke above a hushed tone, and even then, words were just a way of temporarily taking the edge off of the tense situation.

This was it. Was the treasure still there? Did the tunnel even lead anywhere? Maybe this was all just a big hoax. Countless questions, fears, and doubts plagued the minds of every person present. After all, knowing Flint, one wrong move could cost them their lives.

"Wait."

That solitary word instantly left the tunnel in dead silence. No one spoke. No one moved. Everyone was waiting for Evanna to speak again.

"Cover the lamps."

Too afraid to question it, the half-dozen lights were quickly shielded from view, sending the tunnel into pure darkness. But not for long.

Her eyes quickly adjusting to the dark, Zarabeth blinked a few times in surprise as she realized she could make out the frame of the pirate in front of her. She could still see?

Coming to universal agreement without uttering a sound, every eye was quick to fall on the same thing.

A blue light was glowing from somewhere deeper in the tunnel.

It was Zed, the first mate, who broke the quiet, his eyes never leaving the ominous glow. "Is...Is that daylight?"

Jim shook his head slowly, his voice low as if raising it would set off some sort of trap. "Too blue for that. We're too far down, anyway." When no one made a move to reply, the boy shook his head once more, a hand distractedly pulling the hair up from his forehead as he did so. "I don't like it."

"Shut it, Hawkins." Turning only her head to face Jim, Evanna's tone was threatening, but her words covered the excited anticipation quickly taking over her thoughts. "If this is where we're supposed to be, then I'd be willing to bet anything that that up there is the end of the line."

Pulling her laser pistol from its holster, the alien woman raised it high over her head as she let her voice ring and reverberate across the walls around her. "Come on lads! Flint's Legacy is dead ahead!"

The pirate crew erupted into maniacal whoops and cheers, the entire group, so cautious before, now practically taking off at a run toward the source of the the blue light.

The noise was deafening in Zara's ears, the girl thankful that her racing heart was somewhat blanketing the inhuman noise as she focused on trying to keep up with everyone, more dragged along than anything.

Just as she was certain that she'd stumble and collapse at any moment, Zarabeth bumped right into the back of the pirate in front on her, the whole company suddenly still and silent, the sight before their eyes leaving most of them in dumbfounded silence.

The tunnel opened up into a cave, twice as high as it was wide, the blue glow emanating from phosphorescent rocks on the walls and stalactites hanging like so many icicles from the cavern ceiling. The whole cave seemed to sparkle like a big diamond.

Zarabeth caught herself smiling at the scene before her, the beauty of the natural wonder hypnotizing enough to make her momentarily forget why she was even there in the first place.

Evanna was the first to leave the safety of the tunnel, her eyes roaming the entirety of the cavern as she spun around in place to see it all, the sheer majesty of the view stunning even her into silence.

One by one, the pirate crew joined their captain in the heart of the room, all too stunned to say anything. Before long, the only people left in the mouth of the tunnel were the bounty hunters, Zarabeth, and Jim, the five coming to their senses quicker than the rest.

Damian was the first to raise his voice, quickly gaining the attention of all those present as his sarcastic tone voiced the question on the minds of the small group. "Um, hello? Treasure? Where is it?"

No matter where they looked, everyone came to the same conclusion. The cavern was empty. No chests. No doors. The floor was perfectly flat and smooth earth. There was no treasure in sight.

Completely baffled, Evanna shoved her way around the cavern, pushing past her own crew members to try to see for sure that they weren't missing something. "No, no, no." Muttering one word after another, the alien woman didn't even know she was speaking aloud. "I-I don't understand. It has to be here. The key opened to this tunnel and this is the only way it went. It has to be here! It just has to!"

"Captain?"

Fighting for her attention, Leland had to get right up beside Evanna to pull her from her reverie.

"Flint might have buried the treasure. The ground is more than sufficient to dig up."

Her demeanor, tense to the point of snapping a moment ago, was now completely relaxed and calm. "Lee, you've done nothing but prove your worth, today. Men! Grab something to dig with! Lets put all those muscles to work!"

Except for Logan, who had been put in charge of watching Jim and Zara on the far side of the cavern, every free hand was tearing at the soft earth beneath them, desperately hoping to find the treasure somewhere beneath the surface.

Sitting against the wall, her head propped against Jim's shoulder, Zara was doing her best to lose her thoughts to the beautiful rocks above and around her. Releasing a heavy breath, the girl managed a small smile as she felt Jim pull her hand comfortingly into his. Small though the action was, Zarabeth could feel her mind begin to relax as Jim played with her fingers the way he always did when he wanted a distraction. Scooting to sit a little closer to him, Zara's gaze was pulled back down to the boy beside her as he spoke in a tone only loud enough for her to hear.

"I don't know whether I want them to find it or not."

Shaking her head, the only emotion she felt was one of longing, longing for things to be different. "Doesn't really matter. For us it ends the same, either way." The words had hardly fallen from Zara's lips before they were regretted, eyes cast down as she hurriedly tried to remedy it. "I'm sorry, Jim. If-If I hadn't slipped, we'd probably be a lot safer, at least around Evanna."

"No, Zara. I'm pretty sure we're as safe as we can be around pirates. You did nothing wrong. Ok?"

Simply nodding, Zarabeth couldn't help but look down at her shoulder, thankful for another minute that it was still holding pretty well.

"I...I just wish..."

Even though Zara knew Jim was talking to her, his voice sounded like he was addressing some far off figure, someone just out of reach.

"I just wish that you weren't here, that you were safe anywhere else."

Biting down on her lip to keep it from visibly trembling, Zara took in a shaky breath before trusting herself to speak, holding Jim's hand a little tighter as it clung to hers. "Jim." Waiting for his crystal gaze, her other hand gently held the side of his face, the girl unconsciously smiling as she felt the unshaven stubble covering his cheek. "No matter what happens, I'd rather be right here with you than anywhere else. I love you. You asked me to run, but even if I did, where would I go? Home? It's not on Montressor. My home is right here beside me. We could be anywhere in the universe for whatever reason, but this is where I belong. With you."

Fighting back the frustrated tears which threatened to fall from the corners of his eyes, Jim nodded in resignation, turning his head a little to kiss the hand at his cheek. She was right. There was nothing left to do or say. Whatever would happen would just happen. He would never stop fighting for her, but now he knew that she couldn't always be protected. No matter what became of them, at least they were together.

The pirates searched for they knew not how long, but it was beginning to look more than a little bleak. Not even a single drabloon had turned up.

When the entire floor had been dug up and rummaged through, the few muttered words of annoyance and dissension spoken here and there were quickly fanned into flames of anger and confused chaos.

"It's not here, I tell ya!"

"We came all this way for nothing!"

"Well you keep diggin', then! I don't see the point no more!"

Zarabeth unconsciously ducked her head down as the sound of a laser pistol being fired rang through the cave, a loud cracking sound following that of the echoing gun. Zara's gaze shot upward to find the origin of the foreign noise, her eyes catching the culprit just as one of the smaller stalactites fell from its perch toward the floor. A few of the pirates had to scramble out of the way just before the crystallized mass shattered against the floor.

Her smoking pistol still raised over her head, Evanna didn't even so much as flinch as the cavern reverberated with the aftermath of the fallen stalactite. "Everyone quiet! Now I have had just about enough of you low-life scum suckers for one day! My treasure is here somewhere, so you'll keep digging if you don't wanna-"

"Evanna Flint!"

A new voice broke out above the pirate captain's, the aristocratic accent causing Zara to instantly react to the unforgettable memory of it.

"By the convenient powers vested in me, I hereby charge you and your entire crew with the treasonous acts of piracy, thievery, murder, and pitiful misdemeanors. You are all under arrest."

Amelia?


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28:

"Jim, Jim it's her. She found-"

Tugging at his arm with a mixture of disbelief and pure relief, Zarabeth was abruptly silenced by the boy's finger over her lips.

"Sh, sh." Twitching his head this way and that, Jim confirmed that no one had caught what she said, bringing his mouth close to her ear as he whispered his words of warning. "Zara, it's better they don't know we're with her, not yet. Evanna still has the upper hand. She has us."

Realizing that he was right, the girl bit down hard on her lip to keep from displaying any further signs of recognition. As far as the pirates knew, Amelia was just another naval captain sent to track Evanna and her crew down. They couldn't find out that they were really here for her and Jim.

Even if she couldn't show it, Zarabeth was more relieved than she'd been in a long time. They hadn't been forgotten or left behind. There was still hope.

The room fell instantly into stunned silence as Evanna strained her eyes to see anyone in the tunnel. "So you've caught up to me, huh? I've beaten and lost your kind before, you dogs of the navy."

From somewhere deep in the darkness, Amelia spoke again, her tone as commanding yet casual as ever. "I can assure you, Miss Flint, the only way you leave is the exact way you made your entrance. And now, that means you are required to go through me and my crew. I would beg that you see reason and surrender now so that I may spare the lives of those under your command."

"Surrender? To you? Hah! What an idea. You must be new to this, honey. The captain and crew of 'The Vengeance' have not and will never surrender to you buffoons in blue. Boys. Get 'em."

Gunfire rang through the walls of the cavern, the low blue light brightened with each purple pulse of laser at it shot into the dark tunnel.

Zarabeth's heart beat mercilessly in her throat, her ears waiting for even the smallest cry to indicate that someone was hurt in Amelia's party. Aside from the laser pistols, not a sound was heard. Maybe they were further back in the tunnel than they sounded. Maybe Amelia was trying to draw the pirates back into the tighter space. Who was with her? Was it just Amelia? Was Gen or Cygnus or Talyn in there? The thought, once born in her mind, wouldn't let Zara alone. She felt so helpless. There was nothing she or Jim could do but simply watch.

Or maybe there was.

Glancing over at Logan, who was standing at maybe arm's length in front of her, it was easy to tell that the viperman was completely distracted, his back turned toward the hostages as he watched the excitement before him.

Swallowing hard, Zara tried to keep her breathing deep and calm as she got the attention of Jim beside her. She couldn't tell him what she planning, she just had to act. Without warning, the girl lunged herself forward toward Logan, the force of her jump knocking the viperman straight to the ground with a solid 'thud'.

Biting down hard on her lip to keep from screaming, Zarabeth ignored the renewed throbbing in her shoulder as she forced her arm to keep Logan's chest pinned to the ground, her other hand blindly attempting to find the laser pistol at his side.

The viperman struggled and kicked, trying to throw the girl from him, his angry curses muffled by the earth beneath his face.

Finally managing to switch the setting on the pistol from laser to stun, the trembling in Zara's hand relaxed slightly as soon as it was done.

Jumping up to help her, Jim put all his weight against Logan's legs to keep them from hitting Zara, his gaze constantly shifting about the dim cavern to make sure that no one was paying attention to them.

"Logan, Logan please stop. I'm not gonna hurt you. I just wanna ta-"

Unwilling to let her beat him, the viperman's elbow flew black behind him in a desperate effort to be free, his arm stopping suddenly as it came into contact with the girl's cheek, throwing her to the side.

"Hey!" Distracted for only a moment, Jim was forced into silence with one firm kick to his gut, the blow sending the boy back against the wall.

Zara's vision flickered for a second before clearing, sharp pain fading from behind her eyes as she suddenly realized the she was lying flat on her back, Logan looming victoriously over her.

Remembering the gun, the girl hurriedly pulled her arm up, the viperman suddenly forced to look down the barrel of his own pistol.

"Logan, just listen to me! We can still get out of this! You can still run! Come with us!"

Slowly wiping the dirt off of his cheek, the boy's serpentine eyes glared unwaveringly down at Zara, his words colder than the dank air surrounding them. "Or what? You'll shoot me?! Real convincing, Hartfit."

Never taking her eyes from his, Zarabeth slowly let her hand relax back down by her head, tossing the gun away from her back toward the wall.

"Ok, ok see? No gun. Please, Logan. It doesn't have to be like this. Help us, and we can all get out of here alive!"

"No!"

There was no way for Zara to escape his hands as they latched onto her wrists, roughly shaking them as if they'd help bring the girl to her senses.

"No, I won't listen to you! Not again! You're the reason I'm here at-"

With a low 'thunk' Zara watched in confusion as Logan failed to finish his threat, the viperman's hold now completely slack as he fell to one side of her, unconscious. Looking up, the girl was more than relieved to see Jim standing over her, a chunk of the phosphorescent rock dropping from his hand as he fell to his knees at her side.

"Jim, I-I had to try. I couldn't just leave him-"

Surrounded in the boy's arms, Zarabeth buried her face in the shoulder of Leland's jacket, muffling any pained sounds unwillingly escaping her lips as Jim held her close.

"I know. I know. It's ok. Zara, you did what you thought you had to. But Logan already made his choice. Hey, we can try to get away now, right?"

Nodding in resignation, a new volley of gunfire brought the girl's mind back to their present situation. Pulling away from Jim's embrace, Zara hurriedly tried to locate the discarded laser pistol, reaching over to grab it as soon as she'd spotted it. With Jim to help her get to her feet, the girl cautiously inspected their surroundings, desperately hoping that a plan would come to one of them as they stood together.

Carefully pulling Zara over to a more concealed portion of the cave, Jim kept his eye on the fighting close by as he quickly relayed his orders to the girl kneeling beside him.

"Ok. Here's the plan. Do you know how to set that thing to stun?"

"Already done."

"Good. That way you can aim recklessly if you have to. Basically, you see a pirate, shoot. I'll grab a gun if one falls nearby while you cover me. Oh, and uh, try not to hit my dad."

"Roger that."

Using a section of the wall to steady her hand, Zara tried to breathe deeply to keep her hand from shaking too much, all her attention focused on aiming at the pirate closest to her, the bulk of an alien maybe twelve yards out from where she crouched in the shadows.

She clearly had the shot, but pulling the trigger was heavier on her mind than she expected. It wasn't like she was killing them. Ok. She had this.

With the firm jerk of the trigger, a pulse of blue found its unsuspecting target, the ten-foot alien crumpling to the ground without a sound, his unused laser rifle now lying idly in his hand.

Without a word, Jim emerged from his hiding place, making only a quick glance back at Zarabeth to confirm that she had him covered while he grabbed the rifle.

Returning to the place he'd been beside Zara, Jim joined the girl in her silent rampage, the shots from their guns mixing in with what was left of the firefight, no one taking any notice of the two.

With the pirates dropping like flies from the rear, the band of thugs was slowly receding, Amelia's group making quick work of those exposed near the front.

They had a chance. They really did.

Pulling the trigger once again, Zara was stunned to see she'd missed, the shot going right over a pirate's shoulder, missing him completely. Trying to fire once again, only an empty 'click' greeted her efforts as she continued to try. She was out of ammunition.

Now of no further use, the girl tossed the pistol away from her, pulling her eyes back up toward the fight just in time to react.

"Look out!"

Shoving Jim down to the ground, a loud cracking sound met their ears as the two were showered with a cloud of stone dust and small pieces of rock.

"Ouch..." Gritting her teeth in pain, Zara squeezed her eyes shut as she waited for her shoulder's throbbing to recede, the hurried pounding of Jim's heart beneath her cheek somehow helping to keep her calm considering what they'd narrowly escaped.

"No, you idiot! I said 'get them not 'hit them'! The brats are worth nothing to me dead!"

"Oh. Sorry."

The low rumble of a reply to Evanna's heated words forced Zarabeth to try to rise. They had to get moving. Fast.

From beneath her, Jim coughed the dust from his lungs, the boy slowly rising as Zara rolled off of him, her body trembling against the wall as she tried to rub the dirt out of her eyes.

"That..." Struggling to speak between his small fits of coughing, Jim managed to get to his hands and knees before helping Zarabeth upright. "That sure woke me up. You alright?" With one final cough, the boy shakily rose to his feet, pulling Zara up with him as he looked over the chunk of stalactite that had narrowly missed them.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. But we need to get out of here before-"

A series of a dozen or so shots rang through the entire cavern, the echo still loud in everyone's ears even after the gunfire suddenly ceased.

A low rumbling, subtle at first, but quickly gaining power throughout the cavern began to shake its walls, the presence of it confusing Jim and Zara more than anything.

"Jim!"

Emerging from behind the chunk of fallen stone, Leland grabbed his son and the girl beside him, his face marked with the blood of his comrades and hurried desperation. "We need to leave! Now! Evanna's gonna bury us all if we don't move!"

"Where's Amelia?"

"The navy gal? She took off, and we need to do the same! Hurry it up!"

Looking up, fear twisted Zara's stomach into knots as she saw the numerous stalactites above them crack and quiver, threatening to plummet toward them at any moment.

"Wait!" Wrenching her hand from Leland's grasp, Zara yelled above the growing noise filling the cavern. "Logan's still back there!"

"Zara, come on!"

"We can't just leave him!"

"We have to!"

"I won't let him die! Not like this!"

With only a moment's hesitation, Jim took off at a staggered run back toward where they'd left the viperman.

"Jim, stop! Jim!" Unable to gain his attention, Leland released an aggravated grunt before going after his son, Zara not far behind.

"Oh no you don't!"

Any sound Zarabeth had tried to make was cut short by the strong arm suddenly latched about her waist, hoisting her off of her feet with little to no effort, regardless of her struggling.

"Damian, no! Let go of me! Let go!"

"Captain's orders, baby girl! Come on!"

There was no way to release his arm from her, Zara's shoulder screaming at her with every desperate move she made. "Damian, please! I have to help them!"

Her efforts getting her nowhere, the girl could only watch Jim and Leland as they draped an unconscious Logan over their shoulders, making their way back towards the tunnel at a rate too labored and slow to be ignored.

"Let's move, let's move! Corbett, come on!"

Evanna's calls were getting more angry and frantic with every word, the sounds of them barely audible over the grinding of the breaking stalactites as a few crashed against the floor.

"Jim!" His name ringing from her lips over and over again was making her more hoarse with each time, but she couldn't do anything else. She felt so helpless.

Damian had almost dragged her to the mouth of the tunnel before the girl's eyes focused on a smaller stalactite suddenly wrenched from its perch. It was headed straight for Jim.

In a flurry of motion, Leland caught sight of the plummeting pinnacle of stone, reacting as instantly as he could before a cloud of dust obscured the group from Zara's gaze, a loud crash and a pained cry the only sounds meeting her ears.

"No!"

Time seemed to stop in that moment, that single word somehow ringing above all else as a sudden surge of fear pushed Zarabeth from Damian's grasp and into the open cave. Stumbling over broken stone and the uneven floor, Zara fought her way through the growing pain burning in her chest. There was only one thing on her mind. She had to get to Jim.

Thick clouds of stone dust forced the girl into violent coughing fits, similar sounds somewhere in front of Zarabeth urging her forward as she clambered over another glowing rock. "Jim! Jim where are you?"

"Za-Zara!"

"Jim!"

Following the sounds of his voice, the girl could no longer feel her legs as they carried her closer to him, her mind too focused on finding him to care how she got there.

A small plume of dust began to settle, revealing the only person in the world Zarabeth wanted to see in that moment.

He was alive.

Even through the relieved tears rolling unhindered down her cheeks, Zara could see that Jim was alright, dirtier than ever, but unscathed. It wasn't him they had to worry about.

"Zara help me!"

Instantly on her knees beside Jim, the girl had to fight through her growing fear as she helped pull Leland from beneath the shards of broken rock.

There was so much blood.

"Jim, he-he's-"

"Alive, but I don't know for how long. I'll have to carry him. Can you get Logan out?"

"Y-Yes."

Without another moment to contemplate what they were even doing, Zarabeth knelt down beside the viperman's unconscious form, pulling his arm up over her shoulder so that she could half carry half drag him out. There wasn't time to think of another way.

Each step felt like so much more, each passing moment seeming either too long to fathom or too short to be processed. Even the ceaseless noise of stones breaking against each other was hardly audible in Zarabeth's ears. She knew one thing and one thing only. They had to make it out. All of them.

As abruptly as it had all begun, Zara suddenly realized that they were walking in darkness, they were back in the safety of the tunnel.

Her legs felt like lead, each step becoming harder than the last, the constant weight she bore making the pain in her shoulder go slowly numb to her mind.

With a small cry of surprise Zara felt her foot's forward motion stopped by a firm wall. Reaching out with her hand, the girl felt in growing confusion that she'd come to the end of the tunnel. Their journey in the dark had somehow led them to the end, but there was no light, no opening above them.

"Jim. Jim they closed it."

"What?"

From a little ways behind her, the girl knew that Jim was fast approaching the place where she now stood. Carefully setting Logan up against the wall closest to her, Zara could feel her anxiety growing with each passing moment. "It's no good. They've left us."

"Are you sure? We didn't take a wrong turn, did we?"

"This was the only way. And feel here? It's the ladder. Oh, Jim."

Zara's ears perked up at the sound of a low groan right behind her, followed by Jim's quiet words of comfort as he put his father down on the ground.

"Dad, don't move. Just sit tight, ok?"

Jim's hand, feeling blindly for Zarabeth, found its way to her shoulder as he moved to stand beside her. "This is it? Ok... Well, maybe someone's still up there."

"What're you gonna do?"

"The only thing we can do. Here, stand back a bit. I don't wanna fall on you."

Doing as she was told, Zara could make out the sounds of Jim's hands and feet clambering their way upward, his low grunts and heavy breathing growing gradually further away.

Standing idle in the darkness, Zarabeth began to feel the sensations that'd been blocked out by her adrenaline return in unavoidable waves. She suddenly felt tired, the trembling in her legs slowly returning with the pounding of her heart. The throbbing in her shoulder, numbed and dulled before, was now nearly dominant in her mind, the sensations leaving her confused in the darkness that seemed to spin beneath her feet. She felt so dizzy. If only she could sit down, just for a moment.

Now as high up on the ladder as he could climb, Jim began pounding on the ceiling above him, unsure if anyone would or could even hear him as he yelled for help.

Zara gave the slightest sound of surprise as she felt her knees finally give out beneath her, the wall of dirt at her back catching her enough to ease her down to the floor.

Her head was completely clouded, no sound except her labored breathing loud enough in her ears to be distinguished. Even now that she was sitting, Zara still thought she could feel the earth spinning beneath and around her, pitch black though it was. No, she just had to lie down. She was too tired to stay upright.

Time was irrelevant in that smothering emptiness of darkness. Nothing but the slow beating of Zarabeth's heart could keep reminding her of what it felt like for time to pass. Jim's calls for help were completely muffled and indistinguishable, the constancy of the sounds only confusing her senses further.

She couldn't tell whether her eyes were open or closed. It didn't matter. Darkness was all that met her eyes, though it did feel like there was a hint of color whenever they were open. Or was it when they were closed? Zara couldn't tell anymore. Like everything else in those passing moments, it didn't matter.

Zara couldn't tell how much time had passed. Seconds, minutes, hours? It didn't make a difference. They were still there. That's all she knew.

But, in a single strange instant, something changed. Something was very different.

She couldn't hear Jim.

Blinking a few times, Zarabeth's eyes began to adjust to the beam of light that was shining brightly down into the darkness. It was so...white. The darkness seemed to flee at the very thought of its presence. Why was there light? She couldn't think of a reason.

The edges of that light gradually began to fade with the aimless wanderings of Zara's mind, the girl simply content to lose herself to them as she lay there in the dirt.

Her eyelids felt like lead, too heavy to make the effort to continue blinking, but the last few times that she did, Zara thought she saw a hand reaching out to her, a hand she thought she'd never see again. Was she already dreaming?

Unable to tell where or why she was, Zara simply let herself be lost to the new darkness, the cold touch of metal the last thing she could remember before slipping away.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29:

"Hand me that, please? Thank you. Alright, can I have you hold that down for me? Put as much pressure on it as you can. That's it."

That voice, its soft sweetness was more than familiar to Zarabeth, the nagging memory of it gradually pulling the girl's mind back into reality. Where was she?

Blinking her eyes a few times to push the heaviness from them, Zara's gaze was met with a wooden ceiling, a solar lamp hanging from it a little ways above her. The light gently swayed back and forth with the gradual movement of the room. Was she on a ship?

"Well look who decided to wake up."

A voice, heavily accented, drew Zara's attention to her left, a feeling beyond pure relief flooding every one of her senses as she released a quiet breath. "Jewel."

From her right, a shock of white-blond hair caught the girl's eye, a smile as bright as the Etherium's stars greeting Zarabeth as she glanced its way.

"Hey, Zara."

Anaise's golden eyes were beginning to brim with tears, indescribable happiness translating into her bell-like laughter upon seeing that her friend was alright.

"I'll go get Gen."

Genevieve, Anaise, Jewel. Who else was here? Where exactly was she?

In turning her head to try to follow her friend, Zarabeth's gaze was caught by her own shoulder, the startling white of fresh bandages covering her chest and shoulder, not a hint of her wound to be seen anywhere.

Realizing that she was lying on some sort of counter or table, Zara put the small bits of returning energy together to try to sit up, forcing herself upright with her good arm, Jewel's hand quick to help steady her once she was upright.

Without another moment of hesitation, Zarabeth pulled the girl into as tight a hug as she could manage, still having a bit of a hard time believing that she was really there with her.

It was so strange, this feeling so foreign to her broken mind. Zarabeth felt safe. She didn't know where she was or how she got there, but she somehow knew she could finally relax. Everything was going to be alright now.

It was Jewel who spoke first, her words only broken by her quiet tears as she held onto Zara. "Don't you ever do this to us again. You hear me, girl? You just keep your booty on Montressor where it belongs."

"I hear ya. Don't you worry. I'm-I'm just so glad to see you."

Slowly pulling away, small pieces of memory and images began to fit back together in Zarabeth's mind, a million questions flooding back with them. "Jewel, what happened? I mean, with the pirates and all. Last I remember, Jim was...was trying to get us out of the tunnel. But then-"

"Easy, honey. You're gonna hurt yourself thinkin' that hard. It's alright though. The actual pirate ship got away, but anyone who was down there with you, if we didn't shoot 'em, is down in that closet space that's supposed to be a brig. I tell ya, this ship is just too small. Didn't even have room for both you and that other guy in here at the same time."

"Other guy?"

The single question on her mind vanished in an instant as the door at the far end of the room flew open, giving Zara only a split second to see who it was before she was flung into Genevieve's warm embrace.

"You-You're alright! Oh, thank heavens you're ok. I was worried sick, Zara. When Silver brought you up unconscious, I-I didn't know if you'd wake up."

Pulling away to hold her friend at arm's length, a confused expression marked Genevieve's face. "Zara? What's wrong? You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"Silver? Did-Did you just say 'Silver'?"

"Ya, Silver. You know, that cyborg you always talk about? He found us a few days after we reached Risona. He's the one who finally had a plan to get you guys out."

"He-He's here?"

"Ya. Last time I saw, he was with Jim. Zarabeth, what's wrong?"

Unsure of what to make of anything she'd just heard, only one thought seemed logical to the girl. "I-I have to go see Jim. Where is he?"

"You really shouldn't go anywhere. I can go tell them you're awake."

"Gen, where is he?"

"He-He and Calypsa are trying to help that guy we found with you."

Leland. He was still alive. Now she really had to see Jim.

Pushing herself off of the table she'd been sitting on, Zarabeth's legs shook violently beneath her, but somehow managed to keep her on her feet.

"Zara, wait. You lost too much blood. You've gotta stay here until Calypsa gets back."

"You-You don't understand. I have to see them."

"I'll go find Jim for you. You just wait here and I'll be back with-"

"Gen, that's Jim's father."

Shocked was the only word to describe the look on Genevieve's face, the girl blinking blankly a few times before speaking again. "Wait, what?"

Carefully pushing past her friend, Zarabeth was relieved to have her hand grip the cold metal of the doorknob, pulling the wooden door open as she tried to leave it at that. "I'll explain later, but I gotta go. Just tell me where they are?"

"They're...They're up in the Captain's quarters. I'll come with you."

"No. I-I mean, I need to see him alone. Thanks Gen."

Stumbling up the short set of wooden stairs leading to the helm, it was impossible for Zara to ignore her heart pounding in her throat, fear nagging at her mind at the thought of not knowing what she'd find in the room in front of her.

The door opened up on silent hinges, allowing the girl to see into the room, a strange mixture of emotions greeting her as she carefully stepped inside.

Lying on the bed in the corner of the room was Jim's father, a thick layer of bandages covering most of his torso, but it was more than obvious that the bleeding still hadn't stopped.

The man's eyes were instantly drawn to Zarabeth, but she didn't seem to even notice that he wasn't alone. All she could see was how pale Leland looked, how dead his eyes seemed as they turned towards her.

"Zara?"

Pulled back into the present by the sound of Jim's single word, the girl looked up only to be instantly smothered in a tight embrace, the wonderfully familiar voice of Amelia speaking in nothing but utter relief as she held her.

"Zarabeth. Oh, darling, you're alright. Oh thank heavens. You cannot even begin to imagine how much we feared for you both. But enough of that. You're safe now."

More than content to simply stay in the warmth of Amelia's embrace, Zara realized just how much she'd missed her. "You-You came for us?"

"Darling, of course. Well, with the way James went gallivanting off after you, we were really hoping to catch up before he did anything daft. We were a few days too late for that, I'm afraid. But you're here now, both of you. That's all that matters."

"Honey, what are you doing up? Come, on and sit down before you hurt yourself."

Letting Jim lead her over to his chair, Zara took a moment to look about the room, confirming that they were the only ones there.

"Gen said Silver was here. Where is he?"

It was too late by the time Jim had masked the pained look in his eyes, his voice trembling slightly as he managed to speak in response to the girl's cold tone. "Zara, it's not what we thought. He'll...He'll tell you himself."

"But, Jim, he left-"

"Well, Anaise was right." The door behind the group was suddenly pushed open, Calypsa's small form appearing from behind its frame, her arms spilling over with white shirts. "No more bandages. The boys were good enough to let me confiscate these, but they're not very thick. I'll just have to wrap them-Zara!"

It only took a moment for the feline girl to discard everything from her arms, kneeling down by where Zara sat as she hurriedly began checking her vitals. "Who told you you could get up? For goodness sake, Zarabeth. Well...I guess you're not in any real danger. Not anymore. You somehow got up here, after all. Just take it easy, you hear me?"

"It's good to see you too." Unable to resist a small smile as she teased, Zara laughed at her own relaxed feelings. She'd almost forgotten what it was like to just freely laugh, to smile without a reason. It felt so good.

Dropping her nursing instincts, Calypsa joined in with the girl's quiet laughter, her eyes confirming how happy she was just to be talking with Zara again.

Convincing the feline girl that she could still be of help, Calypsa unwillingly let Zarabeth cut the bundle of white shirts into strips for her while she did her best to try and staunch Leland's bleeding. Jim was left doing the smaller tasks, mostly running messages between Calypsa and Silver who was apparently doing his part down in the galley.

This process went on for hours, nothing but the fading lights of the Etherium to remind everyone that the day was fleeing fast.

Nothing changed. Leland's wounds were only getting worse. When he wasn't awake, everyone nervously watched his every breath. When he was awake, he wouldn't say anything, his eyes would just roam blankly from face to face.

From what Calypsa had been able to tell Zara, along with the external wounds he'd incurred from the pieces of fallen rock, Leland was bleeding internally. In the end, there was nothing to be done.

It was no longer a question of 'if', but 'when'.

Zarabeth stifled a yawn with the back of her hand, trying her best to ward off the sleep threatening to take her. The last time she'd slept was two nights ago, since she didn't consider being unconscious to count for anything. But this was not the time for that. Zara didn't even trust herself to have her eyes shut for any longer of a span than to blink.

Turning in her seat to try to keep her mind actively working, the girl's eyes were more than well adjusted to the darkness of the room about her, only a few lamps on the desk and bedside table to break the smothering black.

Silver had been there for quite some time, his hurried explanations for himself few and too vague to put together into a cohesive thought. He just didn't think now was a good time. Zara had to agree, though it was still difficult to get past the hurt nagging at the back of her mind. At least he really was here. He hadn't completely run out on them. Yet.

Calypsa wouldn't think of even sitting down for two seconds together. She had to keep herself busy, even if she was left doing insignificant tasks. She wouldn't say so, but Zara knew she didn't want to give up on Leland. For her, it wasn't good enough to simply watch and wait. She had to at least feel like she was still doing something.

Jim had been sitting by Zarabeth on the edge of the bed at his father's feet, trying his best to stay out of the way. Except for the occasional word to her or the others, Jim was silent, his eyes almost never leaving Leland's.

The more time passed, the more Zara's heart began to ache with every beat. She felt so helpless. There was nothing she could do for Leland. There was no way to comfort Jim. She didn't know how. The thought of trying to be there for him when his father did pass was an even more painful thought.

No. She couldn't think on that. There was no point. Not yet.

"Jim."

The room was silent before, but now it was tangibly tense, every eye turned toward Leland as he spoke for the first time that day.

Moving himself from the foot of the bed to sit closer to his father, the boy was visibly trembling, his hand only steadying as Leland took it in his. Swallowing hard, Jim tried to speak past his heart as it pounded mercilessly in his throat. Whatever he was about to hear, he knew he wasn't ready for it.

"Dad?"

His eyes slowly meeting his son's, Leland's words were slow and deliberate, broken only by his own labored breathing and the need to wait out renewed surges of pain as they wracked his weakening form.

"Jim, I-I can't make excuses for what I've done, I know that. And I know I've no right to ask this of you, but I must. Don't tell your mother. About me."

"B-But she..."

"Jim, I've hurt her in more ways than I care to admit, and I...I wouldn't have you add this. You both probably assumed I was dead anyway. Let her keep thinking that."

Not trusting himself to speak, Jim simply nodded to affirm that he understood.

There was silence for a few minutes following, but it was obvious that Leland wasn't finished. His mouth would begin to form words, but he'd always stop himself, either unsure of what to say or maybe too unnerved to go through with it. In the end, he must have decided, because he continued.

"The day I left was the day my life started again. I'm...I'm just sorry that you and Sarah were left in the wake of it. I was trying to live someone else's perfect little life and I...I couldn't handle it. Before they brought your girl on board, I was happy. I won't deny it. Seeing you was the hardest thing I've had to face in years. But I don't regret it. I-I can't regret seeing you again. You're my son."

"Dad, you don't have to-"

"Jim, please. Just let me finish, because I know I'm about to be. No, there's no need to mollycoddle me. I know what's what. This is it. And I'm not sorry. I've lived my life, for the most part, happy and content. I'll die even more so knowing that I had my son, a man, at my side for the last time."

Unable to fight the tears which fell in silence down her cheeks, Zarabeth was surprised when she felt Leland's hand grab for hers, his frail grip somehow holding on as he turned his head a little to better see her.

"Oh now, lass. There'll be none of that. Save your tears. I'm not worth even one."

Sniffing back a new wave of them, Zara cleared her cheeks with her free hand, trying her best to smile back at Jim's father as she held fast to his quivering hand.

"I'm leaving my son in your hands, lass. If you promise me you'll...take care of him, he's all yours."

Biting down hard on her lip, Zara could only nod as she dropped her gaze, her voice only a little more than a whisper. "I promise." Hesitating for only a moment, the girl managed to continue, giving the man's hand a firm squeeze as she tried once more to smile. "I could never repay you for what you've done today. You saved my life by saving Jim's. I-I just wish we weren't here having to say thank you. It shouldn't have happened."

She had no more control left. She simply let her tears spill from the corners of her eyes, her last few words barely managed.

"No, lass. This had to happen. You see that boy...that man sitting next to you? I left him without saying goodbye. The fates brought him back to me, so now I'll redeem the only wrong I truly regret. Son."

Leland's words were put on pause as he waited out the pain suddenly heightened in his sides, the man simply giving a low grunt before finishing his thought.

"I'm sorry I left you without a word. Even if...Even if I'd lied to you that I'd be back or some nonsense, it would've been better. So, I'm saying it now. Even if I never really showed it, I did love you. Seeing you now, I still do. I know...you must hate me, and I can't blame you for that. I'd hate me too. And I don't deserve to ask your forgiveness-"

Shaking his head vigorously, Jim fought to keep the control he still had over his voice. "I did hate you...and-and up until a few days ago, I still did. It was easier to feel like that when I couldn't see you and all I had were the memories you left me with." Releasing a quivering breath, Jim fought to blink back the tears forming in his eyes as he finally managed to finish. "But I...I missed you. I really did. No matter how much you hurt me or mom, I just wanted you to come home. I wanted my father back..."

Silence was the loudest sound filling the room, the darkness seemingly more tangible than before as everyone waited for someone else to be the first to break it.

"Leland?"

Giving the man's hand a small squeeze, Zara's voice was hesitant, her grip faltering slightly when nothing happened.

"Dad?"

Silence.

"Dad?"


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30:

Zarabeth didn't know how long she'd been standing there, simply waiting for a sound, a response, but she received none. Pulling her arms close to her chest, the crisp night air blowing gently over her flushed cheeks, the girl released a small breath as she tried to think of anything to say that might coax the boy from his pained silence. With her shoulder still uncooperative, she couldn't even go up to him. Jim had been up in the crow's nest for the better part of an hour now, the hour since his father had died.

Standing idly at the base of the mast, Zara was fully concentrated on the dark silhouette sitting so high above her, the girl completely unaware of the footsteps coming down to meet her.

Something heavy, heavy and warm, was gently laid over her shoulders, the arms of a large coat dangling in front of her as she resisted the urge to turn to face the person she knew was behind her.

Silver's voice was quiet, hesitant almost as he let his hand fall on her uninjured arm. "Come on, lass. It's too cold fer ya ta be standin' out here like dis. He'll come down when he's ready."

She didn't trust herself to answer him, simply letting the cyborg lead her down to the warmth of the dim galley, Silver's coat still draped over her as she sat atop one of the wooden tables.

Neither of them spoke.

The silence between them wasn't as tense as Zarabeth had expected it to be, just quiet, nothing more. She couldn't be sure whether Silver was waiting for her to say something or not, but if he was, he seemed content to simply wait.

Zara watched him as he made his way about the galley, keeping himself busy with this and that until he finally paused in his work to join the girl, sitting on the bench beside her feet as he handed her a steaming cup of something which smelled suspiciously of chocolate and cinnamon.

Accepting his gift with a small smile, the girl released a heavy breath in resignation before quietly speaking the words which her mind desperately wished to be free.

"Silver, what happened? That day...you left us. I-I didn't think we'd ever see you again."

Taking a small sip from his own mug, Silver collected his thoughts for a moment before setting the cup aside, finally making his answer without turning to her, at least for the first few words.

"Zara...I'm sorry you thought I'd abandoned ya. I knew i' t'was a far cry of a hope ta t'ink Evanna would simply let you and Jimbo go free, but I had ta try." He hesitated for a moment before continuing, his gaze shifted away from hers, nothing but pain evident in his eye. "As soon as I saw i' t'wasn't gonna be like dat, I had ta turn tail on ya both. I had ta even fool meself in order ta convince Eva dat I was really leavin' ya behind. She'd a believed nothin' else."

Letting the warmth from the cup in her hands seep into the rest of her, Zara sat in complete silence until Silver had finished speaking, her eyes still trained down at her hands as she quietly made a reply.

"After you flew away, what did you do then?"

"Well now, lemme see. Uh, I was headed back da way I'd come, not sure of what ta do, but I had ta do somethin'. I...I t'ought maybe if I turned meself in but gave t'e authorities everyt'ing I knew 'bout Evanna and her crew, I'd be able ta trade in t'e noose fer maybe just a life sentence and still save ya both."

Her mouth unconsciously hung open for a few stunned seconds of silence, the feelings of pain and bitterness she'd harbored against him over those few days gradually melting away. "You...You were going to turn yourself in...for us?"

"Aye lass." A forced smile and a small chuckle escaping his lips, the old cyborg let his good hand rub distractedly over the back of his neck. "I figured I'd lived long enough anyhow. T'e two of you matter more den life ta me. Don't you ever forget or doubt dat, ya got me?"

Setting her cup beside her, Zarabeth leaned down to wrap her uninjured arm as tightly as she could manage around Silver, her words muffled with her face buried against his chest. "I'm sorry, Silver. I'm sorry I ever doubted you."

"Heh, ya had every right to it, lass."

"Thanks for coming back."

Holding the girl at arm's length, Silver smiled in contentment as he finished explaining himself, relieved that Zara understood and could forgive him. "Oh, well now, I couldn't 'ave pulled it off wit'out your friends. I' t'weren't long before I met up wit' t'e she-cat captain and your classmates flying towards ya. With the captain's temporary pardon of me, we figured on a way ta track t'e ship and get ya out while Eva was busy on her little wild goose chase."

"W-Wild goose chase? You mean...Flint's Legacy?" Sitting back in surprise, the girl shook her head in disbelief. "It...doesn't really exist?"

"Oh it existed alright, once upon a time, but apparently us pirate folk are too behind in da times ta know it never made it ta the cavern."

"Then what happened to it?"

"Old Flinty was busy settin' up ta make sure Treasure Planet was well equipped ta blast any unwelcome visitors. He sent t'at portion, wit' t'e three keys, ta his most trusted crew members, old Billy Bones bein' one of 'em. 'Parently, their ship was ambushed just before it reached Risona. The crew turned tail and disappeared, leavin' the ship and its goods for t'a navy as t'ey made' off wit' da keys. Too afraid of losin' their lives over it, t'ey kept fibbin' all the while dat t'e treasure was safe and sound where Old Flinty wanted it."

Shaking her head in disbelief, Zara couldn't help but chuckle quietly at the irony of it all. "Everything...all of this. It happened for nothing."

"Well, I wouldn't quite say dat. You've got a dozen or so of some of de most dangerous scum locked down in dat tiny brig, Evanna Flint herself included."

Zara didn't know what to say. Silence persisting between them for a few moments, the girl realized she was just staring blankly into the room, shaking her head a little as if it would help clear it before cradling her cheek in her hand. "So...what happens now? With you."

The cyborg heaved a monolithic sigh, running a hand over his face before trusting himself to answer with a sad smile. "I dare not stay longer than tomorrow, lass. Amelia's given me grace 'cause of you and Jimbo, but t'e closer we gets ta Montressor, t'e more dangerous it is fer me."

Zarabeth gave a small laugh as she took another sip from the steaming mug. "Amelia's pretty good at keeping her emotions in check, but I'm sort of surprised that she's lasted this long."

"Heh. Don't I know it."

The galley was quiet for a little while after, the two simply content to drink their cups of chocolate, the silence between them calm and peaceful. But as the silence persisted, Zara's mind began to wander, the true weight of what had happened in the last two weeks crashing down over her in a tidal wave of emotions.

Sitting there in the dim galley, a smothering kind of helplessness began to overtake the girl's mind. She and Jim nearly lost their lives over a fabricated legend. Leland did lose his. It was all for nothing. They'd lost more than they could have possibly gained.

Releasing a quivering breath, Zarabeth laid the empty mug behind her, eyes returning to concentrate on her feet as she quietly voiced the words so heavy on her mind. "Silver...I don't know what to do. With Jim... I feel like I can't help him. I don't know what to say or-or if there's something I should do. It hurts me to see him struggling alone, especially when I know he's blaming himself..."

"Zarabeth. Look here, lass."

Swallowing hard, the girl's face was gently turned to face the cyborg, his finger wiping away the single tear that escaped her eye. Silver's face wore an expression of understanding and that fatherly smile which always managed to warm her heart.

"Ya know dat year you and me was sick wit' Caliban? Jimbo came ta me sayin' t'ose same t'ings, and I'm gonna tell you what I told him. I' t'ain't about knowin' what ta do. Just bein' dere for him, it's as simple as dat. He'll come around when he's sorted t'rough it all himself first. He knows yer dere for him, so just give Jimbo some time. Alright?"

Simply nodding as she drank in his words of comfort, Zara knew Silver was right. Jim was strong. It would maybe take some time, but she knew he'd be alright. They all would be.

"Oh and uh, before I forget, here."

Looking back up at Silver as he spoke again, the girl watched in growing curiosity as he began feeling over the various pockets on him, obviously looking for something.

His brow furrowed in momentary confusion, Silver's eye suddenly brightened as it fell on the coat still draped over the girl. "Oh right. Zara, check in dat dere right pocket fer me, would ya?"

Fumbling her hands through the layers of fabric around her, Zarabeth's fingers finally found their way around what felt like leather. Pulling it out into the open, the pouch that Evanna had bribed Silver with was left sitting in her hands, its contents jingling together in the sharp sounds of coins rubbing together.

"Consider it me wedding present ta you an' Jimbo."

Completely surprised, Zara carefully opened the gathered string from the mouth of the pouch, pouring out the handful of gold as she weighed it on her palm. "Silver, we couldn't. Not-Not all of it. You need it more than we do."

Clicking his tongue in mock irritation, the way he always did when he was preparing to be stubborn over something, the cyborg closed the girls fingers over the golden coins as he smiled. "Now I'll have none of dat, lass. Ya got me? I figure t'e two o' you will be needin' it one way or another dese first few years together. And wit' dat, I also give ya my blessing."

Biting down on her lip to keep the tears at bay as she smiled, Zara leaned over once more to hug the cyborg, giving his cheek a small kiss as she managed to give him her reply. "Thank you, Silver. It means everything to me and Jim to know that. You mean everything."

Sitting there in the dim light of the galley, the two held each other tight in what they both knew would be one of there last moments together until their next accidental meeting.

Maybe someday Silver wouldn't have to run or hide. Maybe someday he could be free to go where he pleased and be with the people who meant most to him. Zara just hoped that if that day ever came, that it would come soon.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31:

"Mind if I join you?"

Startled out of her wandering thoughts, Zarabeth looked down from the shroud she was sitting in to see Jim a little ways below her.

Unsure of how to reply, the girl simply made room for him to come up beside her, trying to take her cues from his expression as she wrapped her coat more securely about her to shield her from the late night air. This was the first time he'd spoken to her since the night before, the night his father died. She'd hardly seen him. Even when Silver left that morning, they'd said their goodbyes separately.

Taking Silver's advice, Zara had forced herself to simply wait for Jim to come to her as soon as he was ready.

The web of ropes pulling beneath him as he climbed up to sit beside her, Jim released a heavy breath as if to urge himself forward to speak, his gaze avoiding hers when he was finally settled. "Hi."

"Hi." Her response equally quiet, Zara's heart was pounding at an exhausting rate within her chest. She didn't know why she was so nervous. Maybe it was just the way Jim looked and sounded. It unsettled her, making her heart anxious for him. "I thought you were already in bed."

Shaking his head, Jim continued to stare out at the Etherium around them. "I was...but I couldn't sleep. Insomnia got you too?"

A small laugh escaping her, Zara joined the boy in looking out at the star-filled space they were sailing through. "You could say that. Last night didn't treat me so well either. Guess I'm not used to a real bed anymore."

Nodding without a word, Jim's eyes still didn't meet hers.

"How's your leg?" Even since the day he'd been shot, Jim hardly said a word about it. She knew he didn't want her worrying about him, even if she could tell that he was getting better.

Even though Zara couldn't completely see his face, she somehow could tell that he was smiling, or, at least, trying to.

"It's almost there. I won't be limping for much longer. What about you?"

"It'll heal. As long as I don't try to catch myself, again."

Jim gave a small laugh, but he was quiet once again without a word.

After almost a minute of silence, she couldn't take it anymore.

Zarabeth's gaze now fully concentrated on Jim, she waited a moment before moving over a little closer to him, her words barely above a whisper as she hesitantly spoke. "Jim, I'm sorry for what happened."

"We shouldn't have even been there..."

Zara's eyes lowered to focus on her hands in her lap, the anguish in his voice chipping away at her heart as she answered in a low tone to match his. "I know."

The stagnant silence between them persisted once more, but this time it was Jim who finally broke it, his forehead cradled in his hand as his whispered words rang out in the darkness. "I was supposed to be the one who died. Not him. One of the only selfless things he's ever done in his life, and I didn't even say 'thank you' before it was too late. It's like...this time, it was me who left him without saying goodbye."

"Jim..."

"I-I just don't...I don't know why. He came back into my life just to leave for the last time. Why?"

Releasing a quivering breath, Zara reached out with a hesitant hand, barely touching the boy's shoulder. When he didn't shrink back or pull away, she wrapped her good arm about his shoulders, pulling him close as she let her head rest against his. "I don't know. Maybe there's a reason, maybe there's not. But if you could think of anything..." She already knew what she thought, but she wanted Jim to talk. Zara wanted him to release all the thoughts trapped and festering in his mind.

For a few tense moments, Jim didn't move, he didn't say anything. But finally, with a deep breath, he slowly began. "Well...you heard him too. He said now he could really say goodbye. So it meant something for him, but I...I don't know. A part of me still just wants to hate him, but I can't. I mean, he wasn't sorry the way I wanted him to be, but he...he's still my dad. Seeing him again, I wish he'd never left, but in a sick-twisted way, I can see why he did."

Zarabeth didn't know what to say. She had guessed almost everything he'd obviously been thinking, but now she had no reply.

Turning her eyes back to him, she was surprised to see Jim's crystal gaze focused only on her. Trying to smile comfortingly, Zara's efforts were cut short with Jim's next words, low yet somehow resounding loud in her ears.

"Zara, I don't want to be my dad. I don't ever want to leave you...I don't know how I could."

She waited with breath held as he pulled away from her arm, that pure gaze not even leaving her for a moment.

"And I know I'll make these vows again on our wedding day, but I need to promise you one right now."

Turning to completely face her now, Jim took Zarabeth's hands into his, a smile slowly creeping over his lips as he continued.

"I know that marriage is hard. It's not a breeze. I mean, it might be from day to day, but there's never a guarantee. But I promise that I'll try. I will try to make this marriage, our marriage, the happiest one I know.

I won't always be right. I might forget something important or say something I really don't mean. And I-I think maybe I snore. I can't promise that we won't fight or that you won't make me sleep downstairs or that I'll never be the reason you cry. But believe me when I promise that I will not give up on us. Ever. You are the only thing I have worth fighting for, and I will spend the rest of my life protecting and enjoying that."

Releasing her hands, Jim reached up to hold the girl's face, his thumb tenderly stroking her cheek as he smiled past the hints of tears in his eyes.

"I won't be my father. I promise."

Her own hand covering one of his, Zara couldn't help but return his smile, her reply hardly audible as she tried to hold back her own tears.

"I know you won't."

Her head still in his hands, Zarabeth slowly leaned forward, letting her lips tenderly meet his.

Even after the kiss ended, the two stayed mere inches apart, the girl's voice only a whisper as she managed to finish. "I'll always stand by you. I promise."


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32:

Zarabeth looked up to meet Jim's crystal gaze as she felt his hands give hers a small squeeze. Easily returning his smile, Zara could see the true excitement he felt in his eyes. His calm facade could not fool her.

She heard every one of the officiant's words as he spoke extensively about marriage and its responsibilities, but sometimes Zara felt her mind wandering as she lost herself in those eyes that wouldn't leave hers.

This was it.

They were really getting married.

Zarabeth knew that all eyes were on them, the general sounds of sighs and even a few happy sobs from B.E.N. left her heart fluttering in her chest.

Everything was perfect.

They'd only waited a week as soon as everyone had returned to Montressor. Jim and Zara saw no point in delaying things any further. With the horrors of the past few weeks behind them, things were finally beginning to return to normal. With the pirates and bounty hunters all tried and put away in some prison or another, no one could think of anything which would ruin this day a second time. They were finally as safe as they could be. Now Jim and Zarabeth could start exactly where they'd left off.

After a little more coaxing from her, Jim had finally agreed to wear his uniform for the ceremony. If for no other reason, Zara just liked the way he looked in the dark blue color. It suited him so well.

Even Zarabeth didn't look quite the same as she'd originally planned a month ago. Her shoulder still not healed enough to leave uncovered, the girls had made a careful job of wrapping it in as much of an elegant fashion as they could manage. It still just looked like a bandage showing from under her off-the-shoulder gown, but she didn't particularly care. All she could care about was that they were finally here.

But if there was one thing Zara knew both she and Jim regretted, it was that Silver couldn't be there. They were both determined to see the day come when he could live freely, pardoned for his wrongs, but they had to accept that that day had not yet come. He'd given them his blessing, a blessing to the children who considered him a father to them both. Even though Silver wasn't there, Jim and Zarabeth knew that he was thinking of them in this moment.

Looking over her shoulder to see the group of people sitting in the chapel behind them, Zara could just imagine Silver sitting among all of their friends and family, most likely right beside Sarah on the end.

He might as well be there.

"Now, if you'll repeat after me."

Her mind coming back into attention, Zara turned her head to better face the officiant as he had Jim then Zara recite their vows.

"I, James Pleiades Hawkins..."

"I, Zarabeth Jane Hartfit..."

"Vow from this day forward to love and cherish you as my wife."

"Vow from this day forward to love and honor you as my husband."

"In peace and in discord."

"In poverty and in wealth."

"In sickness and in health."

"In happiness and in despair."

"I vow to you my faithfulness."

"I vow to you my faithfulness."

She felt so lost in his gaze as she tried her best to remember the things she was to say. Her hands captive to Jim's, it felt, in some moments, as if they were the only two people in the room. The sound of his voice, each word more sincere than the last, Zarabeth felt completely at peace.

He was the one. She could never doubt that.

"May I always have more forgiveness to offer you, more grace to grant to you, more ways to serve you, more compassion to comfort you, more understanding to have towards you, and more love to shower on you as each day goes by."

She had practiced her part over and over again in her mind, but Zara suddenly felt as if it was unnecessary. She meant every word she said. It felt like the most natural thing in the world to say her vows to this man she loved so much. Her hands held tightly to Jim's as she let each word fall from her smiling lips.

"May I always have more support to offer you, more faith to have in you, more passion to share with you, more humility to have towards you, more children to give you, and more love to shower on you as each day goes by."

"The rings, if you please." Accepting the pair of rings which Cane carefully placed in the officiant's hand, the man then turned back to face Jim and Zarabeth, handing one to each as he had them continue.

"With this ring, I make you my wife."

"With this ring, I make you my husband."

Looking back up into each others eyes, they both could only see the purest of joy as they finished their vows.

"Make of our lives one life."

"Make of our hearts one heart."

"Now and forever."

"Till death do us part."

The End

Fourth story finished! Hoping you all enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. It was fun to get back into some action and adventure.

Another story is very much in the works and I'm so excited about it! After that, I think I'll only have one more to finish out my career here. (Six stories. Wow. Who knew?)

To all of my wonderful readers around the world, thank you so so much! Your love, support, and reviews make my day. Every day. So thank you!

It might be a little while, but, rest assured, I will be back with another adventure for you! Until next time!

God bless!


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